Man killed over missing R250

THE community of Gugulethu extension in Ndevana village outside Berlin is in shock after the gruesome killing of a 31-year-old man in the early hours of Sunday outside his home.

Mandisi Sikontya was stoned and dragged onto a gravel road from his home by two people who believed he had stolen R250 from one of them.

When the Daily Dispatch visited the home Sikontya shared with his mother, Lulama Sikontya, neighbours had already filled the oneroom shack.

One of the two men handed himself over to the police yesterday while the other is still at large.

A distraught Lumka Mabhuda, Sikontya’s aunt, said his death was a blow to the family.

“We are all unemployed. We don’t have money to bury him.

“What is this that has befallen us? He didn’t have to die for this. We are in pain. We’ve seen other incidents before but this is by far the worst. We don’t know how we’re going to bury him. Uthixo uyobonelela [God will provide],” she said.

His mother was not home at the time of the visit.

It is alleged that Sikontya and his mother were asleep when the two forced their way into the shack and attacked Sikontya, as well as his mother when she tried to defend him. Then they dragged Sikontya by his feet for about 1.5km into the home of one of the men. Traces of blood were still visible on the gravel road.

A sister of one of the men said she heard them outside the home, demanding money from the deceased.

“I ran out and tried to intervene but my brother and his friend overpowered me.

“The deceased looked helpless. I went to neighbours for help.”

When she came back with a community elder, they found him lying lifeless in a pool of blood.

Manete Mteti said he was called to rush the man to hospital, but when he arrived on the scene, he found him unresponsive.

Mteti said the community was conflicted over Sikontya’s death.

“Some community members are saying they can finally rest now that he is gone.

“Yes, he had done wrong but no human being deserves to be killed in that manner.”

Police spokeswoman Captain Siphokazi Mawisa said the man would appear in the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court soon. —