Body parts in fridge – ‘he wanted blood’

Thobile Mlangeni

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of a 63-year-old Mozambican whose body parts were found in plastic bags in a fridge at a care centre in Mpumalanga.

Albert Mthombothi’s body parts were found in bags at the Yehla Ngilozi Elderly Centre in Mpumalanga at the weekend. He used to receive his daily meals there because he was poverty-stricken and had called it his second home. He eventually moved in.

Mandisa Favourite Mashaba, 20, who was arrested and has appeared in court, used to roam the streets carrying a knife and would at times mumble “he wanted blood”, his neighbours claimed.

The body parts were discovered when three women went to the premises to clean for their Thursday prayer meeting.

“Everything was in order until

Everything was in order until one of us needed a drink from the fridge. My body trembled Annah Masinga One of the women who found the body parts in the fridge

one of us needed a drink from the fridge,” said Annah Masinga. “My body trembled.”

Mashaba had apparently been hiding in the centre and escaped through the back door.

Community members caught him and he allegedly had a medium-sized knife and keys to the centre with him.

Centre manager Hellen Ndinisa said she was reeling from the incident. She said Mthombothi started coming to the centre in November last year and eventually found shelter at the old-age home where he had became known as “the mkhulu ( grandfather) who sleeps at the centre”.

“We are still shocked. This happened at a time when he was trying to find his family,” Ndinisa said.

“What amazes us more is that there were no signs of blood anywhere in the building.”

Councillor Isaac Tlou, working with members of the community, managed to find the relatives of the murdered man who said he was from Manyisa in Maputo, Mozambique. – Caxton News Service

We are still shocked. This happened at a time when he was trying to find his family Hellen Ndinisa Centre manager