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PIEGGS PEAK — A 25-year-old man accused of killing a 64-year-old woman claimed he attacked her after she snatched three cigarettes from him.
Sigadla Shabangu appeared in Pigg’s Peak Local Court for the first time yesterday and pleaded guilty to the brutal murder. He confessed to the crime in a closed session before a magistrate judge in the magistrate’s chambers. The confession was made shortly before he was arraigned. Shabangu is the only person accused of the rape and murder of Phindile Dlamini (64), a resident of Emambiteni in Hho North. Dlamini was allegedly brutally murdered on Sunday night while returning home drunk. The disturbing incident took place at around 8pm in Emambiteni. The 25-year-old man, who was later identified by police as the suspect, claimed he was provoked by the woman.
He made the statement during interrogation when he was captured by members of the Emambiteni community soon after the incident. He allegedly told investigators he was returning from a local bar when the woman used force to take three cigarettes from him. The defendant told investigators he was walking home from hanging out with friends at a local bar when the woman asked him to borrow a cigarette. He claimed that when he ignored her, the woman insisted. He claimed that the woman then immediately snatched three cigarettes from him, culminating in the violent attack.
Narration
However, community members did not believe the man’s narrative. Community members handed him over to members of the local community policing forum. These members also handed over the baton to the state police. But this happened after members of the community gave him a thorough beating. The man suspected of rape and murder was beaten with various weapons including sticks. The community members took turns beating the man. Neighbors of the deceased helped catch the suspect, who was then beaten and restrained until police arrived around midnight. After a good Samaritan raised the alarm, residents came out asking him to donate blood.
The incident has brought great pain to the people of the close-knit Embitni community, who described the deceased as “a happy, jovial person who always made people laugh”. Neighbour Dudu Mabuza said the deceased was a cheerful woman who was well-loved by many in the community. Another resident, surnamed Shongwe, said he found it hard to believe the incident had actually happened. He said despite her age, the woman was still in good health and he could not imagine how the accused had subdued her.
“She was a bubbly person, always full of humour. There must have been a struggle before she was killed. She was not the type of woman who would allow something like this to happen,” he said. The heartbreaking incident has left the woman’s family devastated. “You always saw her with a smile on her face. She loved to share a joke and there was never a dull moment around her,” said a family member. Angry residents said they would not give up on seeking justice for the woman, and they made it clear that they would deal with the suspect decisively regardless of whether he appeared in the area again.
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