Durban - After stabbing a six-year-old Chatsworth schoolboy to death in front of his friends, a drug-crazed man brandishing a bloodied knife bragged to passers-by that he had killed a lion.
They alerted police and a 25-year-old suspect was arrested an hour later at his Savannah Park home.
It is believed the man was high on sugars, a cheap addictive drug containing cocaine, heroin and other ingredients such as rat poison or household detergents.
Lindo Mabhena, a Grade 1 pupil at Brooklyn Heights Primary, in Crossmoor, Chatsworth, was skateboarding with his friends near the Jamaica Shopping Centre, in Shallcross, when he was attacked on Saturday afternoon.
His assailant grabbed Lindo by the throat, stabbed him in the neck and fled into nearby bushes.
Several of Lindo’s friends witnessed the incident.
Police have charged Sibusiso Madiya for murder. He appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and the matter was adjourned to Monday for a bail application. He was remanded in custody.
Lindo’s grieving brother, Musa Mabhena, said on Wednesday the family was in shock.
He said Lindo had left their Bottlebrush informal settlement home at around 5pm on Saturday to play.
“Almost every Saturday afternoon, Lindo attends a feeding programme at the local community hall. He then hooks up with his friends and they play for about an hour or two before he returns home.”
He said his mother, Nombulelo, only realised Lindo was missing on Sunday.
“She had gone to bed early. When she woke up and found him not there she panicked. She walked kilometres to try to find him.”
Musa Mabhena, who lives on his own, said he was alerted to his brother’s murder at about 6am on Sunday.
“I was getting ready for church when my brother, Mjongile, called and told me that Lindo had been killed.”
He said Mjongile was informed about the murder by policemen conducting enquiries in the area.
“They told the community a little boy had been killed and they were looking for his family. They described Lindo and fortunately someone recognised him.”
Mabhena said his brother had been stabbed in the back of his neck and had died immediately.
“My brother was just a regular, playful kid. He never got into trouble with anyone. I cannot understand how he died such a senseless and brutal death,” he said. “It is a shock to my family.”
He said while the arrest of his brother’s alleged killer was a relief, it did not lessen their grief.
The ANC’s Ward 71 chairman, Falakhe Mhlongo, said he had spoken to the police about the boy’s attacker.
“His hands were covered in blood and he still had the knife in his hand. He told people in Savannah Park that he had killed a lion,” he said.
“They became suspicious and alerted police. Further investigation led police to Shallcross where Lindo was killed. When questioned, the suspect told police he thought he was killing a lion.”
Mhlongo said drugs had reached a crisis point in Chatsworth.
“Sugars is everywhere. It is being sold at schools and on the streets. Our children are not safe anywhere.”
He said a lack of recreational facilities in the Bottlebrush area also forced children to play on the streets, away from their homes.
“We are trying to form a partnership with the community and local schools to try to create safe zones for our children to play in.”
Mhlongo said more than 8 000 people lived in the Bottlebrush informal settlement and high unemployment levels and poverty were fuelling crime in the area.
The chairman of the Brooklyn Heights Primary School governing body, Phumlani Bhengu, said the school planned to hold a demonstration during next week’s bail application.
“His (the accused’s) bail must be opposed. This was a senseless and brutal killing,” Bhengu said.
Visvin Reddy, deputy chairman of Chatsworth and Districts Against Crime, said he was shocked by the brutality of Lindo’s death.
Reddy said the Mabhena family were struggling to make ends meet and did not have money for Lindo’s funeral.
“I have secured the services of Pinetown Funeral Services and they will do the funeral free of charge.”
Lindo’s funeral service will take place in KwaDukuza on Saturday, and Reddy said anyone interested in contributing towards the costs of meals and other funeral-related expenses could contact him at 082 325 3497.
Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, confirmed that investigations were continuing.
Daily News