M’sane man gets life term for murder of his sister

THE Bhisho High Court has sent a 23year-old Mdantsane man to prison for the rest of his life after he confessed to killing his sister in 2014.

Ayabonga Bolosha was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his then 31-year-old sister Xoliswa “Nompuku” Bolosha, whose tiny, lifeless body was found in an open field next to the township’s Nkqubela TB Hospital on the morning of July 27 2014.

According to police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi, the suspects in the crime were unknown for years until Bolosha, late in 2016, confessed to family members during a traditional ceremony in Ginsberg, implicating his two friends in the process.

However, according to Mbi, the court on Friday exonerated the two friends as they could not be linked to the crime.

This is while it dropped the rape case against Bolosha, but sent him straight to jail for life for his involvement in the brutal killing of his sister.

“The charge of rape was withdrawn by the court as there was not enough evidence to prove it, while his coaccused could not be linked to the crime,” Mbi said.

On the morning of July 27 2014, Nompuku’s bloodied body was found with various stab wounds.

She appeared to have died a horrific death. Her attackers having raped her before stabbing her repeatedly and crushing her head with a rock.

She had no chance of survival – the blow to the head had snuffed out her life. Not satisfied with their acts, the killers had taunted Bolosha’s mother sending her text messages. “Go fetch your b***h,” said one, referring to the open field where they had dumped the lifeless body.

Such was the extent of the violence visited upon Bolosha that her body had to be buried in a closed casket.

For a year after her funeral, the case went cold.

Then it emerged that Nompuku had known her killers and trusted them like brothers.

During his confession to family members in 2016, it is understood her brother repeated the horrific tale of how he and two friends, in a drugged state, had committed the gruesome deed.

According to family members, the family had reported the confession to police in 2016, Ayabonga was arrested, spent time in custody. But despite his confession, he was released a few months later while police continued with their probe.

They further said that to rub salt into the wound for the family, Nompuku’s grieving and sickly mother had to share a house with the self-confessed killer.

The family said she was reminded every day of her only daughter’s violent death, until the self-confessed culprit was re-arrested late last year.

Unfortunately Nompuku’s mother passed away last year before seeing justice served for her daughter’s killing, and without seeing her son being sentenced to life on Friday. —