Aunt recalls horror killing of niece (7)

THE aunt of a seven-year-old KwaZulu-Natal girl who was brutally murdered, allegedly on the instruction of her father, says only the outlawed death sentence would heal their pain.

Philiswa Zungu’s aunt, Nokuzola Xulu, relayed the family’s horror to Sowetan, saying the ordeal had left them bruised. “We are finding it hard to accept her death, it’s even worse for her mother.”

Speaking from her home at Nsuze near Tongaat, Xulu said she still recalled the events of March 4. “It was me, her mother Mbali, my cousins and their children. We were sitting in the rondavel watching TV.

“We heard a knock and one of the kids rushed to the door to open. Before she could open, two men armed with long knives pushed the door. They then said, ubani uPhiliswa, sifuna yena, (Who is Philiswa, we want her).”

Xulu said Philiswa was later found dead, her throat slit, intestines pulled out and stabbed multiple times, a few steps outside the rondavel.

Her father, Thokozani Ngidi, is suspected of having orchestrated the killing. He separated from Philiswa ’ s mother five years ago. He allegedly solicited the services of Simosakhe Ngcobo, who in turn asked another accomplice to help him carry out the crime. Ngidi is alleged to have promised Ngcobo and his accomplice R20 000 if they executed the plan. Ngcobo has already been jailed for life for the murder, while Ngidi will stand trial in November. The whereabouts of Ngcobo’s accomplice are unknown.

Ngcobo testified during his trial that while Ngidi had promised them R20 000, he only gave them R1 000.

“They slit her throat and pulled out her intestines