Brothers mourn the dead, back the living
Accused’s siblings say she meant stepdaughter no harm
THE brothers of a woman accused of killing her teenage stepdaughter have described their sister as “gentle” and “loving”.
Mundolene Vosloo, 17, was buried on Friday amid scenes of grief at the graveside and during the funeral service.
The stepmother, Marietjie Vosloo, 39, is in custody in Mauritius where the alleged murder took place two weeks ago.
The brothers were torn between their grief for Mundolene and support for their sister.
They wrote a letter to the Sunday Times which said: “We know our sister didn’t mean to do her [Mundolene] any harm. It was a tragedy.
“We really feel sorry for the father and his family. Our hearts are broken over what our sister has been experiencing.”
Mundolene died from a blow to the head, allegedly administered by the stepmother during an altercation in the family’s Mauritius hotel room.
Mundolene’s father, Mike Vosloo, and her two brothers, aged 11 and 14, returned from Mauritius on Tuesday. A DAD’S GRIEF: Mike Vosloo, left, father of Mundolene Vosloo, inset, with family and friends at his teenage daughter’s funeral on Friday
Mundolene was buried on Friday following a funeral service at the Presidentsoord Dutch Reformed Church in Petersfield, Springs.
The service was packed with family, friends and classmates from Hoërskool Hugenote.
Mourners released balloons and white doves into the air, before Mundolene’s body was taken to the cemetery.
Among the tributes read at the funeral were two letters from her brothers.
The letters were published in Huisgenoot magazine.
“Sis, I will always love you. You are my everything,” wrote her 11-year-old brother.
“My shepherd. I miss you and you were the one who always stood up for me against the boys who picked fights with me and sorted them out and I am thankful for it and I am so, so, so thankful for the time you were in my life and you will always live in my heart and I wish I could have you here with me, we all do, but yes, you are in a better place and yes, I am also so very thankful that you sent me that great message from heaven, actually to all of us and I miss and love you my shepherd and sister. Love you lots and RIP I love you very much. Make the angels in heaven happy. Make them dance and that’s all, I LOVE you my sister.”
Her 14-year-old brother, who witnessed his sister’s death and is expected to be a key witness in the trial, wrote: “My sister. I will always love you and will never forget you. I ducked and hid when you laughed so loudly at school. Oh, my sister, I have no words. Your laughter, your craziness, your music. Oh, I will miss it so much, it remains in my heart how you always ate everybody’s food. I love you very much and I feel so empty without you but I will never forget you — Brother, 14.
The principal of Hoërskool Hugenote, Frans Styger, said in a statement this week: “Mundolene was a neat and spontaneous girl. [Her death] is a loss to the school, our deepest condolences to her parents and brothers.”
Le Mauricien, a Mauritian newspaper, reported this week that the crime scene was reconstructed last Sunday at the Riu Hotel, where Mundolene was killed.
The newspaper said the stepmother had asked the South African embassy to help find legal assistance. A spokesman for the Department of International Relations and Co-operation denied this.
Mike and Marietjie Vosloo lived on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast with their son.
A friend of Marietjie said the relationship between the stepmother and Mundolene had been “toxic”.
“The relationship was good in the beginning. But Mundolene was a troublesome teenager. Marietjie couldn’t discipline her and Mike worked in Malawi and only came home every eight weeks.”