THERE was anger, shock and even tears in the Soshanguve Magistrates Court in Tshwane on Thursday, 4 May when Soshanguve's very own "Thabo Bester” and his wife appeared.
Residents came in numbers to see for themselves the man they thought they buried in January 2022. And as Sibusiso Mahlangu and his wife, Lerato, made their way into the court room, whispers and insults filled the room.
Hanging his head in the dock, Mahlangu told Daily Sun he is not okay as he was allegedly not treated well in the holding cells, where he has been kept since his arrest two weeks ago.
He said he was told why he was arrested, but it was a lie that he confessed to the crimes he's being charged with.
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The couple has been accused of killing Lerato’s baby daddy, Sibusiso Sitebe, and burying his body as Sibusiso Mahlangu in January 2022. They face charges of murder, fraud and defeating the ends of justice.
Their bail application was postponed to 18 May.
Outside the court, Sitebe's friends and family called for the couple's blood. They told Daily Sun the couple should tell them where they buried Sitebe so they could exhume his body or there would be trouble.
They said they are hurt that the Mahlangu family took out money, paid for catering and even bought a coffin for a body that did not belong to them.
Sitebe’s aunt said: “They should show us where they buried our child or else there will be hell to pay. We will not rest until they show us.”
She said they have been looking for Sitebe the whole of last year and even went as far as identifying people’s bodies.
“It was a stressful year while these evil people knew where our son was and kept quiet. They should all burn in hell,” she said.
Sitebe's baby mama, Lerato Mphefo, struggled to hold back tears while expressing the pain of the day her boyfriend went missing and how he was killed.
“He was supposed to attend our child’s first birthday party but cancelled because he received a call for a potential job. That was the last time I spoke to him,” she said.
She claimed that she has always felt that Lerato had done something to Sitebe because she always told him that she wanted to ruin his life.
“Days before Sibusiso went missing Lerato was acting weird. I had a bad feeling about her, but I didn’t think she would do something so evil,” she said.
Lerato Mahlangu’s family were forced to stay a bit longer in court fearing for their lives.
They said they are scared that the people who came for Mahlangu might attack them.
“We are also shocked by this whole thing and are being treated as if we are part of the plot,” said Lerato’s aunt, Joyce Mokgolobotho.
