“Postponement is good” - family

The Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou was filled last Monday during the appearance of former Malamulele based traffic officer, Masingita Chavani and Steven Sithole.

They stand accused of the 2015 kidnapping of a new-born baby, Timothy Mbavala and his mother Hlulani Maswanganyi (then 17 years old.) The month-old boy was later found, but his mother is still missing.

At some point during the investigations, a burnt-out body was found at the Luvuvhu River near the Nandoni Dam. That gave hope to the family that at long last they have found the remains of their loved one. Unfortunately, tests determined that it was not the body of the missing Hlulani.

Last Monday, angry residents protested outside court waving placards and were singing songs to oppose bail for the two accused. The trial was supposed to have started on Monday, but the court was told that Chavani’s lawyer was not present. The trail was then postponed to 3 May.

Immediately after the postponement, family representative Magezi Mahlawule sighed with relief saying it would give more time for Chavani to think about pointing out the whereabouts of their missing relative. “We have suffered enough pain not knowing what had happened to our loved one. We have been taken from pillar to post with no positive outcome. Maybe the time in between would give the accused enough time to think about telling the truth,” he said.

He said they are very thankful to the community members who are supporting them. He added that they want their relative dead or alive. “We won’t stop searching and one day she would be found. We are just hopeful the police would do their work and trace the woman, and if she is dead, we will bury her with dignity and if alive we will celebrate,” he said.

Date:09 April 2017

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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