A FAMILY’S worst nightmare has come to life.
This was after they were told their brother, Sibusiso Sitebe, whom they thought was missing, had been killed and buried.
Sitebe was allegedly murdered by his baby mama and her husband in January 2022.
Daily Sun reported that on Thursday, 20 April, Sibusiso Mahlangu (33), who had been declared dead, appeared in court alongside his wife Lerato Mahlangu on charges of murder, fraud and theft. Mahlangu’s court appearance shocked residents of Soshanguve Block WW, in Tshwane who had attended his funeral service.
Sibusiso’s brother Seun said his family was still reeling in shock after they were shown photos of their brother’s charred body in the house, in which it was claimed Mahlangu had died in during a fire.
“The only closure I will get it’s when I get my brother’s body and give him a dignified funeral.”
Seun said as much as they tried to burn his face so he cannot be recognisable, they were able to identify him.
"They burnt his face, hands and the upper body. They took off his clothes and made him wear the other Sibusiso’s wedding ring so that the police would think it’s him," he said.
Seun said Sibusiso left home on 1 January 2022 to drop off a cake at his daughter’s home. He said while on his way, he allegedly received a phone call that there were people who wanted to use his services since he was a taxi driver.
"What I found weird is when he called and told me that he was okay, and I shouldn’t worry. An hour later, his phone was off and that was the last time we heard from him," said Seun.
He said they opened a missing persons case and the detective who was investigating the case allegedly told them the last location of his brother was at the home of the baby mama.
Seun said when they heard about the death of the husband, they assumed that maybe Sibusiso was responsible and that it was the reason he disappeared. The Sitebe family said since they received the news, they had been shattered and uneasy with the whole thing.
"We have been told that it might take three months before we could get his body back. We will be able to find closure when that happens because we don’t know how connected Lerato and Sibusiso are. They might go and exhume his body," said Seun.
Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo told Daily Sun that on 16 April the police in Hammanskraal received a tip-off about a suspected stolen motor vehicle.
"Upon questioning the suspect, it was established that he allegedly killed and burnt a person in Soshanguve in January 2022, before fleeing to Mpumalanga. A case of murder was opened,” he said.
The couple is expected to appear in the Soshanguve Magistrates Court next month for a formal bail application.
