Seven Reeston men linked to abduction, killing of two youths

THE families of two youths, who disappeared two weeks ago, have been left devastated following the discovery of their bodies in Butterworth.

The bodies of 18-year-old Lihle Sokutu and his 21-year-old friend Londoloza Ntlomebeni, both from Reeston, were retrieved from the bottom of a cliff on Monday by members of the police search and rescue units from Mthatha, East London and Cradock.

Nomaphelo Ntlomebeni said she had received a phonecall on April 7 to say that Londoloza had been abducted. It is alleged the young men were accused of stealing a computer and a burglar gate.

“I told other family members about this because I did not believe that my son had been kidnapped because I had seen him the previous night.”

She opened a case at the Scenery Park police station. Residents immediately rallied to search for the missing youth. The search lasted two weeks.

“All I wanted was to just know where they were taken to but no one knew. We looked in the forest and we got nothing. We even went to a witchdoctor.”

Nomaphelo accused the police of being slow to act.

“After I opened the missing person case, the police did not do anything. We had given them the registration number of the Avanza that was said to have been involved in the kidnapping of my son and they did not seem bothered to help us.”

She said she was hospitalised for a week due to stress.

She said her son had relied on part-time jobs at various construction companies across the city.

“He was not a criminal. He did not steal anything. He worked for himself at these construction sites.”

One of the residents, who did not wish to be named told the Saturday Dispatch they heard the youths had been taken to Chicken Farm.

“Over 100 residents then began searching the nearby forest.”

He too accused the police of not helping the community, claiming they did not take cases from their area seriously.

Lihle’s mother Mariya Sokutu said she was in the neighbourhood when her son was taken away.

“He had no enemies. I know he had been accused of stealing scrap metal before, but I did not expect him to be killed for a crime he did not do.”

Police spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala dismissed claims made against the police.

“The investigating officer did not sleep the whole weekend working on this case. The families reported a missing person and we only changed it to a case of kidnapping after they told us that the deceased had been seen in a car with the accused.”

Seven men from Reeston stand accused of kidnapping, assaulting and later killing the two youths. They were arrested on Sunday morning.

The accused Lungisa Kula, 34, Thozamile Tafane, 45, Luvo Mpongwana, 33, Sakhumzi Jiya, 41, Khayalethu Mngcongco, 31, Thanduxolo Mbebe, 37, and Thobela Robeni, 38, appeared at the East London Magistrate’s Court earlier in the week and were denied bail.

The men will appear in court on May 3 for a formal bail application. —