Hillary Gardee’s boyfriend speaks out
Muxe Zitha coming to terms with loss and is co-operating with police
THE boyfriend of slain Hillary Gardee is a broken man who has asked to be given time to come to terms with losing his murdered partner, Hillary Gardee.
Muxe Zitha, speaking to The Star, said he is in pain, confused and lost for words.
He said he is unhappy with some media houses who reported what he called false news; in fact, he said he is complying with the police and he wants to know the truth on why his girlfriend was brutally murdered last week.
Gardee, 28, went missing on April 29. Her body was found dumped in the woods just outside Mbombela last week.
According to a source, one of the alleged perpetrators consulted a sangoma for cleansing after the murder of Gardee. “He consulted the sangoma to cleanse the bad aura of killing someone. He told the sangoma about the murder and how they murdered her by raping her and then shooting her in the head. After the sangoma learnt this in the media, he tipped off the police.”
Three ANC-connected politicians – Sipho Mkhatshwa, Philemon Lukhele and Mduduzi Nkalamwere – were arrested in connection with Gardee’s murder. On Monday they appeared at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court where they abandoned their bail. They are expected to appear again in court on June 9.
Yesterday, there were reports that Zitha had been tortured, wrongfully arrested and was intending to sue the police.
However, Zitha said he was not opening a case or suing the police, but he spent most of his day (Tuesday) getting medical attention.
Responding to The Star in the early evening, he said: “We still need to find these perpetrators ... the family is still crying, I am still crying. I am not opening any case against police or anyone. I don’t want to share any negative mentality. I am against the many stories that are shared on social media because I am saddened by this vicious deed and these people are helping me to get the truth.”
He said he is confused and said he appreciated the assistance from the police to find out who killed his girlfriend.
When asked how he was holding up, Zitha said he was stressed and depressed.
“I get depressed especially when I am alone. You know losing someone you love and who was always smiling is sad. I can tell you from our side there was nothing wrong. This for me is a lifetime challenge whereby I’m carrying a load. I mean those people (perpetrators) are old enough to be parents... imagine old that they have shown us to have done this evil thing.
“I am scared, I have been to doctors and they have advised me to go for counselling. I need counselling because I may cope or may adjust my anger because of what has happened. I am too young for this, even when people do call or make posts on social media, I am still shocked,” said Zitha.
He said he lives with his mother Florence Zitha, he said she is giving him support. Zitha said he and Gardee had been dating between five and six months.
“Being alone is very difficult because we (Gardee) and I were always together and working together. I am not free and not safe because I don’t know what is going on,” Zitha said with a sigh.
He said he co-operated with the police because they were always together and it made sense in them asking him about her whereabouts.
According to a tweet from EFF’s communications officer Sixolise Gcilishe: “They kidnapped Gardee, they raped her. Men in their late 40s + 50s. They brutalised her, beat her, stabbed her, shot her in the head and threw her in the woods still alive. After all that, she was still alive, she crawled towards the road because she wanted to live”.
EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo confirmed to The Star that what Gcilishe said was indeed true.
Lukhele is an ANC senior researcher in Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature Chief Whip Fidel Mlambo’s office.
“We got the information that Lukhele was arrested on Saturday morning. As an office we made our own investigations, it is true that he was arrested. We extend our sincere condolences to the family. Our organisation is against any act of violence against women and children, we are on the side of the victims,” said Mlambo.
Mkhatshwa, is reported to be an adopted son of Catholic priest Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa.
He is a relative of a veteran politician. In a statement, the family said he allegedly had a history of violently terrorising his own relatives. He was once slapped with a protection order at the family’s request after violent behaviour, including housebreaking. The Mkhatshwa family expressed condolences to the Gardee family, eNCA reported.