‘My hell after false arrest’
● A KwaZulu-Natal south coast man has gone into hiding after he was arrested, allegedly tortured and released after being implicated in the murder of five women.
Gcina “Sbuh” Njilo, 35, was released from custody on Monday after the National Prosecuting Authority said police had insufficient evidence against him.
But Njilo says the damage has been done after his identity and photograph were posted on social media and death threats made against him and his family. Now they want police minister Bheki Cele to help clear his name and investigate allegations of abuse while he was in custody.
Njilo was arrested together with his colleague and the prime suspect in the case, Mduduzi “Mafutha” Khomo, 41, who allegedly committed suicide while in custody after he is said to have confessed to the killings. Khomo’s body was reportedly discovered in the early hours of Monday morning.
His death followed the murders of Akhona Gumede, 25, Nosipho Gumede, 16, Neliswe Dube, 22, Zama Chiliza, 38, and an unidentified woman in her 20s. Beginning in April, their bodies were discovered in sugar-cane fields in Mtwalume, sparking fears of a serial killer on the loose.
Njilo said he had been linked to the murder investigation by Khomo, who lent him a cellphone on several occasions when his battery needed charging. He said the cellphone allegedly belonged to one of the murdered women.
Njilo and Khomo worked as security guards at a petrol station in Mtwalume, with Khomo being promoted to fuel attendant last month.
“I thought it was his phone, but it turns out I was working with a criminal because the phone belonged to someone who was dead. That’s how I got implicated,” said Njilo.
He said that when police questioned him about the murders he told them he did not know anything.
“We always spoke about it at work whenever they found a body. But I didn’t know details,” he said.
With a bandage wrapped around his head, a fresh burn wound on his left thigh and bloodshot eyes, Njilo alleges he was tortured at the Scottburgh police station after being picked up by police on Thursday last week. He said his face had been covered and he wasn’t able to identify his attackers.
He said he and Khomo were detained in different cells and that he was only made aware of Khomo’s death when he was at court on Monday.
Njilo said he did not know what lay ahead for him and that he left his fate in the hands of God.
Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said Cele had been made aware of the alleged abuse while Njilo was in custody. Themba did not respond when asked if police would assist in clearing Njilo’s name.
Meanwhile, on Thursday several police search and rescue teams continued to look for more victims, after Cele told reporters on Monday that Khomo had allegedly confessed on Sunday to killing more women.
Khomo’s mother said her family were living in fear due to her son’s alleged crimes.
Local chief Aaron Mtshali said a traditional council meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss threats directed at Khomo’s family and whether it was safe for them to stay in the area. He said no decision had as yet been reached. — Additional reporting by Lwandile Bhengu