No faith in the law as perpetrators remain free

Two men, one of whom lost a leg and another whose sister was beaten to death, feel let down by the justice system because their attackers have not been brought to book.

Johannesburg - Two men, one of whom lost a leg and another whose sister was beaten to death, feel let down by the police and the justice system because there have been no prosecutions.

As they battled to move on with their lives, the men said it was painful that the people who had turned their lives upside down were not behind bars, but were carrying on with their lives as if nothing had happened.

Ramsey Mthobi, whose sister was found beaten to death in her boyfriend’s bed, said he was having difficulty living with the knowledge that the suspect in her murder was roaming the streets while he and his family couldn’t get closure. The family also has to help raise Mthobi’s sister’s three children.

A few kilometres away in Diepkloof, Soweto, another man also feels let down by both the police and the justice system.

Twenty months ago, Lebogang Silindane lost his leg after a motorist knocked him down and fled the scene, thinking that he was dead.

He lost his job, now has to use crutches and is financially dependent on his mother and sister.

“The man who did this is busy living his life and does not have to worry, while I am in pain and need help with many things. The last time I saw him in court he was arrogant and did not even offer me an apology.

“He did not even have the decency to greet me. I forgave him, but am not happy with the justice system,” Silindane said.

It was early one morning in August 2014 when Silindane was knocked down by an allegedly speeding car. His leg was severed.

Silindane said the driver approached him as he lay in excruciating pain.

“He picked me up and threw me over the barrier on the other side of the road. He stood there watching me. He wanted to see whether I would move. I did not and just kept quiet, because I thought he would probably kill me,” he said.

When the man, Tsietsi Lenyanyabedi, saw a witnesses approach, he allegedly got back into his vehicle and fled.

In May last year, after the matter had been to court only twice, it was withdrawn.

Mthobi’s family is also having a hard time dealing with the fact that his sister’s alleged murderer is not behind bars.

The 43-year-old man said his sister’s boyfriend was drinking at a shebeen one morning in July last year when he allegedly boasted that there was a corpse in his bed.

Those who heard him called the police who went to his house and found Phumla Mthobi’s badly beaten body under the blankets.

Mthobi said although he had only seen the bruises partially, he did not know just how badly his sister had been assaulted until he recently saw pictures of her injuries.

“I am so hurt; he really messed her up. From the head to the toes: it’s as if he was stabbing her with bottles. It seems as if he slept next to her body then woke up and went to buy beer.

“I heard that he has been seen roaming the neighbourhood visiting shebeens,” Mthobi said, choking up.

Mthobi said the police told the family that the suspect was released on bail while they awaited DNA results.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini confirmed that the suspect, Sibusiso Khoza, was out on R5 000 bail and that the high court was still trying to determine a trial date.

He did not say anything about the DNA results.

Regarding Silindane, Phindi Louw, the spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said the case was withdrawn in May last year, pending further investigations.

Louw said that initially, a case of reckless and negligent driving had been registered, but after reading the contents of the docket, the senior prosecutor realised that the accused should also be charged with attempted murder and that the matter should be transferred to the regional court.

“The docket was supposed to be returned for a decision after the finalisation of those investigations. We are still waiting for it to see if those investigations were finalised, as the investigating officer is said to be on leave,” she said.

botho.molosankwe@inl.co.za

The Star