Elvis Ngoveni from Chavani Mountainview, the father of the late Rivoningo Ngoveni, is demanding answers from Nhlamulo Maluleke, who is accused of murdering his daughter and burying her in a shallow grave. Maluleke made his third appearance in the Thohoyandou High Court, sitting at the Waterval Magistrate's Court, on Friday, 7 March.
The case stems from the discovery of 19-year-old Rivoningo's remains on 1 February last year. Her family reported her missing on 28 January after she failed to return home the previous day. It is alleged she left home on 27 January to enrol at the University of Venda (Univen).
Following an intensive police investigation, Maluleke, the victim's boyfriend, was arrested on 1 February. He allegedly led police to a shallow grave where he had buried her. Preliminary investigations revealed he had struck her with a concrete brick, stabbed her with a sharp object, and then buried her.
Maluleke, who was 24 at the time, was arrested in connection with her murder. Since her death, Rivoningo's family has struggled to come to terms with the brutal nature of the crime and continues to demand justice.
"The court said they would sentence him to 25 years, with three years suspended, which we believe is not enough. We want him to receive a life sentence, since he pleaded guilty. We also want him to first explain how he killed her because all we saw was where she was buried, which makes it difficult for us to find closure," Ngoveni said.
Outside court, emotions ran high as Ngoveni's family and community members gathered, demanding justice. Some carried placards calling on the accused to reveal the full details of what happened. "We cannot heal without knowing the truth," one family member said.
During his court appearance, Maluleke remained expressionless as the charges were read. However, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi refuted the family's claims that a plea and sentence agreement had been reached.
"The attorney had proposed a plea, but it was not accepted. The case has been postponed to 17 June 2025 for trial," Malabi-Dzhangi said.