Siyavuya Mzantsi
THE rape and murder case of 19-year-old Sinoxolo Mafevuka has led to division among the family members of two men charged with the teenager’s killing, the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court heard yesterday.
The investigating officer into the matter, Butiki Tshabalala, resumed giving his evidence in opposing the granting of bail to the men yesterday.
Tshabalala began the second day of his testimony telling the packed courtroom that the two men and their cousin, who was Mafevuka’s boyfriend, were angry the teenager had been spotted with another man at a local tavern.
Tshabalala said the suspects and their cousin searched for Mafevuka on the night of February 28 after she had disappeared with the man she had been spotted with.
Mafevuka’s boyfriend was planning to marry her, but the teenager was not into the idea, said Tshabalala.
The teenager’s naked body was found in a communal toilet about 200m from her SST block home in Khayelitsha on March 2.
She had been raped.
More graphic details of the scene were heard in court.
Tshabalala said the family of the accused and the mother of their second cousin had several clashes after a friend told him the two had confessed to the crime.
He said the aunt and sisters of the accused were opposed to second cousin giving a statement to the police.
Tshabalala said: “Unfortunately, when we were doing our investigation, there was a lot of commotion with the family.
“The aunt and the sisters of the accused went to the second cousin’s home and wanted to know if he was feeding information to the police.
“They went to the neighbour first and police had to be called to explain how the process works.”
Tshabalala said no foreign DNA was found on the teenager’s body, including all the items found at the scene, except on the jersey, which had an unknown DNA.
He said the accused used to wear the jersey, and sometimes Mafevuka’s boyfriend would be seen wearing it.
Tshabalala said most of the DNA had been “washed away” as some clothes were found stuffed in a cistern.
The bail hearing continues on Monday, with Tshabalala set to be cross-examined by defence lawyer Thabo Nogemane.