THE mother of the man accused of killing and kidnapping a Nyanga boy is hurt by the actions of his son.
Aphiwe Vakele (31) was arrested in connection with the murder of Lukhololwam Mkhontwana (8), who was kidnapped and killed in September 2022.
Nomboniso Vakele (56) was one of the residents who attended the court case at the Athlone Magistrates Court on Friday, 19 January.
Speaking to Daily Sun after the court appearance, she said what her son is accused of doing is evil, and she is hurt.
She said the dead boy was their neighbour, and the mere implication of her son in the case left her devastated.
“The first time I heard the news that my son had been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of the boy, I collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. I found myself on the hospital bed without knowing how I got there. That’s the level of shock I received from the incident,” she said.
She said at home, Aphiwe never showed any behaviour change, and he was also part of the search team for the missing boy.
Having him fingered as one of the kidnappers was unexpected to bother the mother and the community at large.
The mother said what her son allegedly done has caused problems for her as she has been living peacefully with her neighbours for a long time.
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“I was living with my neighbours without any problems. Not even a single day was I called at a meeting because of my behaviour. The issue of Aphiwe has caused me so much headache, I’m not okay,” she said.
A resident, Asemahle Citha (26), said Aphiwe was one of the active people during the search.
“We worked with him to search for the boy, not knowing that he was in touch with the kidnappers, feeding them information. He is so heartless and deserves to rot in jail,” she said.
Aphiwe abandoned his bail application.
The prosecution said they have cell phone records that implicate Aphiwe in the murder.
