Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a young Durban woman whose blood was found spattered on the walls of her Joburg flat.
Nandi Mbizane’s mother, S’bongile, is frantic with worry after the discovery of the blood, which DNA tests confirmed belonged to her daughter, aged 27.
Nandi’s ex-boyfriend, Zwelibanzi Kidwell Zungu, has been arrested. He appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court last week on a charge of murder.
The case was postponed to May 11 for a bail application.
Nandi, described as the ‘‘apple of her mother’s eye’’, has been missing since last month. She was a part-time student at the time of her disappearance and was furthering her studies while working.
Her mother, a principal of Temple Valley Secondary School in Verulam, north of Durban, has had sleepless nights ever since.
Zungu’s arrest has not eased Mbizane’s pain. The constant uncertainty about what has happened to her daughter haunts her.
“The only time I will find closure would be when I see my child and hold her in my arms.
“Only if I can have my Nandi back will I be able to eat and sleep at night. At least if she is dead, I should be afforded a chance to bury her,” said Mbizane.
When she went missing, Nandi, who graduated at the University of KZN with a BCom degree in finance and economics and has an honours degree in economics, was a second-year LLB student at Unisa and had recently bought property for herself.
She had been working for a business consultant company in Joburg since 2009.
“Nandi completed her BCom to honour the memory of her father, who died after achieving the same qualifications while she was a baby,” her mother said.
“She was doing an LLB to honour me because she knew that I was passionate about becoming a lawyer, but I could not finish my studies after getting married.
‘‘She really loved her family,” her mother said.
Mbizane said the last time she saw her daughter was on January 15 when she left for Joburg after having enjoyed the festive season with family.
The last time they had spoken over the phone was on March 2, two days before she disappeared.
“When I last spoke to her on the phone she sounded bubbly, like the same Nandi I know. I could not suspect that she was in trouble,” she said.
However, Mbizane was shocked on March 5 when she received a call from Nandi’s friend telling her that police had broken into her daughter’s flat.
The place had been ransacked and was covered in blood.
Mbizane said her daughter was a quiet person who never liked to say when something was bothering her.
Nandi had been dating Zungu since 2010, but things turned sour after she had broken up with him late last year.
Investigating officer Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou said police were continuing with their investigation.
He said a kidnapping charge could be added to the charge sheet. - Pretoria News