Cape Town – Violent assault by a partner is considered “the norm” in families blighted by alcohol abuse and poverty in Bredasdorp, the Western Cape High Court heard on Wednesday as sentencing proceedings began for the man who raped, kidnapped and murdered teenager Elda Jaftha.

“Many of the violent crimes are committed between girlfriend and boyfriend, and husband and wife,” investigating officer Nataniel Kruger told Acting Judge Feziwe Renqe.

Zimbabwean Gift Sibondo, who was found guilty on Monday, listened as proceedings continued.

READ:  Sentencing of Bredasdorp teen’s killer postponed

The public gallery was empty, in contrast to the massive outpouring of dismay after Jaftha’s body was found under Sibondo’s bed on May 31 2015.

The two had been in an on-off relationship since she was 12-years-old and she was last seen by several people while she was slung over his shoulder on May 29 2015.

He told them she was feeling “faint” from drinking too much and he took her home and dabbed a damp hot towel on her in the hope that she would recover.

On Sunday, May 31, that year, he hid her under his bed when somebody arrived to fetch a borrowed DVD.

He never took her to a hospital. A suspicious neighbour tipped off the police and his door was broken down. Jaftha’s feet were found sticking out from under his bed.

Teeth knocked out

When handing down judgment, Renqe said the girl had been severely beaten and possibly even kicked before she died.

The attack was so severe, that a piece of what could have been a screwdriver and twig points, were pulled out of her wounds. Two of her teeth had been knocked out.

He had pleaded not guilty, but said she had consented to sex and that they lived together and were in a “love relationship”.

READ:  Man guilty of brutal murder of teen

He was in his late 20s when he raped and killed her.

Kruger testified that most people remembered 17-year-old Anene Booysen who had been gang-raped and disembowelled in the town in February 2013.

She did not survive and these “very cruel” murders and attacks still occurred.

He told Renqe that, in his 27 years as a police officer and 17 years as a detective, the common denominators in the cases were alcohol abuse and poverty.

Financial dependence on an attacker made it worse because the women would lay a charge, an attacker would be arrested, but the case would later be withdrawn when they realise they would lose their financial support if their attacker went to jail.

Financial support

In one recent case he investigated, a woman’s partner used a wooden pole to beat her so badly that he fractured her skull, said Kruger.

When he interviewed her in Tygerberg Hospital, she told him that was just “the norm” in her relationship.

When she realised that her spouse could go to jail, she started to worry about how she would support herself and her family because he had given them money.

This was a typical response to victims from poor families where alcohol abuse was prevalent, he said.

This fear of losing support meant that many attackers go unpunished.

Never see her again

Before Kruger testified, an affidavit was read on behalf of Sibondo’s ex-girlfriend, who may not be named to protect the identity of their child.

The statement was short, and focused on her loss of financial support when Sibondo was arrested.

Elda’s mother Eva held back tears as she said that Sibondo should get life for the murder of her daughter.

“It broke my heart that I will never see her again,” she said.

Sibondo will be sentenced on Friday.

JOHANNESBURG – The chairperson of the portfolio committee on police, Francois Beukman, has welcomed the announcement on Wednesday of an agreement between the police minister and the suspended head of crime intelligence, Lieutenant-General Richard Mdluli, that he be relieved of his duties.

In a statement, Parliament says: “Lieutenant-General Mdluli’s discharge will enable police management to appoint a permanent leader with the requisite skills, energy and innovative plans to guide the division to deliver on its mandate. The stability brought by the appointment of a permanent leader is essential if the unit is to add value in intelligence-driven policing.” 

Mdluli had been suspended from the police since March 2011 and been paid to sit at home for nearly seven years. 

He and former policeman Mthembeni Mthunzi are accused of kidnapping and killing the husband of Mdluli’s ex-girlfriend in 1999.

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula insists the exit of Mdluli and of axed Hawks head Berning Ntlemeza – both regarded as loyal supporters of President Jacob Zuma – was not linked to Cyril Ramaphosa’s election as ANC President.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has welcomed Mdluli’s removal.

There have been 12 acting heads of crime intelligence since Mdluli’s suspension.

According to Johan Burger, ISS senior researcher: “Most of those individuals who acted in those positions did not come from crime intelligence. They had no background, no expertise in the function of that division.”

He says this contributed to a lack of trust in crime intelligence and caused a breakdown in the ability of the division to function fully.

“The uncertainty and lack of trust between members, and of course the absence of good solid intelligence for the other operational units within the police service where they relied on crime intelligence, was not forthcoming. I think we saw this in the huge rise in crime levels, especially violent crimes in the last five years,” says Burger. 

eNCA

Johannesburg – The DA has said the resignation of Dr Barney Selebano, the suspended head of the Gauteng health department, following the Life Esidimeni tragedy was not sufficient. The party has called for Selebano to be criminally charged as well.

Selebano was one of a number of health officials identified as being responsible for the transfer of mentally ill patients from Life Esidimeni facilities to a number of unlicensed NGOs.

The move resulted in at least 143 deaths.

READ: Suspended Gauteng health department head resigns

Selebano, who testified at the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearings in December last year and said he took “accountability”, first launched an unsuccessful court bid to challenge a subpoena issued for him to appear before the hearings.

“I take accountability. It happened under my watch. There is no way that, if you are a leader and something happens, and then you suddenly want to walk away from it,” he said at the hearings last year.

“If I had known that there would be mortalities – I wouldn’t have guessed that – if I had known, then really that would have been unthinkable, that I would have gone on,” he said.

Call for former MEC to be criminally charged as well

News of Selebano’s resignation broke on Tuesday, and DA Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said he wanted to see the suspended head criminally charged.

“I welcome the resignation of Dr Barney Selebano, the suspended head of the Gauteng health department, although it was inevitable that he would have been fired following the conclusion of disciplinary measures for his role in the Esidimeni tragedy,” Bloom said.

“This is not sufficient accountability, however, and he should face criminal charges in a court of law along with former health MEC Qedani Mahlangu and other implicated officials,” he said.

Mahlangu is expected to testify before the hearings next week.

“His resignation clears the way for the appointment of a new head for this troubled department which desperately needs strong leadership to fix budgetary problems and provide quality healthcare to all patients,” Bloom said.

JOHANNESBURG – Communications Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has come under fire from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who accused her of interfering with independence of the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board.

The EFF reacted to Kubayi-Ngubane’s statement that Cabinet was responsible for appointment processes of executives at the public broadcaster. 

”We reject this as yet another attempt to interfere with the independence of the SABC board in doing its work. On 6 December 2017, the North Gauteng High Court ordered that the appointment of executive members of the SABC must be done by non-executive members of the SABC board,” the EFF said.

WATCH: SABC’s finances under scrutiny again

”The court further indicated that appointments will be done after consultation with the minister, which means that her opinion is not binding to the choices of executive appointments by the board.”

This followed weekend media reports that MTN’s group executive for corporate affairs Chris Maroleng would take over as chief operating officer at the SABC, replacing highly controversial former COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

Kubayi-Ngubane on Monday denied the appointment.

”The minister wishes to advise the media that all appointments of the chief operating officer, chief executive officer and chief financial officer of state-owned entities are done through Cabinet processes and therefore the announcements of the outcome are made by Cabinet,” she said in a statement. ”It is the minister’s responsibility to present any appointment of executives of the SOEs under the department of communications through Cabinet processes. To this end, the Minister has no knowledge of any official appointment of a COO of SABC.”

The EFF urged Kubayi-Ngubane to respect appointment processes by the board. ”We advise Kubayi-Ngubane to resist returning the public broadcaster into the route of disreputable political interference it suffered under [former communication minister] Faith Muthambi. The idea that the SABC is a public broadcaster rests precisely and entirely in respecting the appointment process of executives. If these are to be done by Cabinet, then not only will the SABC board be rendered irrelevant, it will mean ours is now fully a state broadcaster.”

African News Agency