‘We’re focused on getting justice for her’
Qwabe’s sister, mom protest outside court
“I am broken. At times I want to go to her grave and remove [exhume] her just to see if she is still alive.”
These are the heartbreaking words of Popi Qwabe’s mother Nomsa Ngwenya who, instead of celebrating her daughter’s 25th birthday, spent most of yesterday at the Protea Magistrate’s Court where two men appeared for her murder.
Popi and her best friend Bongeka Phungula were killed on May 12 after they had boarded a taxi to Maponya Mall in Klipspruit, Soweto. They lived together in Naledi.
Speaking to Sowetan outside court, Ngwenya and Popi’s sister Thembelihle Qwabe said Popi was not fussy about her birthday.
“Whatever we would be doing, there would be so much joy. I miss her beautiful smile,” Thembelihle said.
She said they had not
All I want is to meet the men and ask them why they killed them Nomsa Ngwenya POPI QWABE’S MOTHER
planned anything special to mark her sister’s birthday.
“All we are focusing on and fighting for is justice for Popi and Bongeka,” she said.
Thembelihle said she had sent Popi a message even though she knew her phone was at the police station.
“Today is your birthday. Thank you for giving me the strength to fight for you.”
Ngwenya said if granted an opportunity, she would want to talk to the accused – Alec “Magawula” Mamothame, 43, and Sandile Ndlovu, 25, whose bail hearing continued in the court yesterday.
“All I want is to meet the men and ask them why they killed them? What had they done to them to make them kill them?” she said, fighting back tears.
Ngwenya said she did not know that her daughter had been missing until on Sunday May 14, when she did not send her a message wishing her a happy Mother’s Day.
“I then called Pinky [Thembelihle] to ask her where her sister was. I instructed her to go and look for her because her cellphone and that of Bongeka were not going through.”
Thembelihle said she had gone to the house in Naledi where Popi and Bongeka rented a room to look for them that Sunday evening.
“They were not there and I thought they were probably busy. They were artists and loved having fun but I was worried because their phones were not going through,” she said.
“On Monday, I and Bongeka’s relatives went to the police station. We were told about the bodies of four women found over the weekend.
“We then went to the mortuary where we were told that there was a SB Phungula. We then confirmed her identity number. We also confirmed that both women we were looking for had tattoos.
“The first picture we were shown on the screen was that of Popi. I did not expect to see her and was shocked that both had died violently,” Thembelihle said.