A frenzied drinking spree ended in tears following the mysterious death of a woman who was allegedly murdered by her childhood friend in Limpopo.
The deceased, Morongwa Mootane, and murder accused, Rudi Moloto, were known to be childhood friends. They were schoolmates at Lebowaganyane primary school.
The mysterious murder of Morongwa last Sunday has left the close-knit community of Ga-Malatjie in the Sekgopo in Limpopo reeling with shock.
Over the weekend, Morongwa and Moloto were seen drinking together. But little did anyone suspect that the drinking spree would lead to murder.
Even though they were both unemployed, they were always seen drinking together, even on the day of the murder.
Duo seen drinking together
They had planned to attend a soul session shindig at one of their regular drinking joint. However, when Morongwa did not return home on Sunday night, her family panicked.
A frantic search operation was activated, and the searchers decided to check her at Moloto’s place.
The operation found blood stains splattered on the curtains, pillow cases, on the floor and Moloto’s bloodied overalls.
Morongwa’s phone and top were discovered in the bloodied bedroom at Maratholong village.
Modjadjiskloof police proceeded with interrogations until the suspect eventually confessed to murder.
Before Moloto’s arrest, he took the police to a spot where he had buried Morongwa’s body in a shallow grave.
Morongwa’s aunt, Rachel Mootane, said the incident has sent shockwaves in the community. This because many people knew of the close friendship the two had.
Community shocked
“The whole community is shell-shocked. [We are] unable to understand what could have pushed him to commit such a gruesome act. Morongwa and this guy were always happy together. And as family we never thought he could harm her,” Rachel said.
“They were always drinking and we have never heard of their squabbles. We never imagined their childhood friendship ending like this. It is a conundrum we are unable to solve. The family is hoping that since he has confessed to the murder, he will tell us what pushed him to kill his friend.”
Family friend Prince Marutha said he knew the suspect to be an enigma.
“The stories I heard about this man are bone-chilling. I understand that on the Monday after the commission of the crime, he was in court where he was facing a rape charge. These boys are notorious for binge drinking. And the prevalence of these hard drugs is also contributing to rampant criminality and moral decay,” he said.
Kgosi Matsorwane decried moral decay among the youth. He is chairman of Matsorwane Sekgopo Foundation, a social cohesion movement in the area.
Community leaders, civic organisations call for action
“We are observing hopelessly how the youth in this area is wallowing in alcoholism and drug abuse. While we cannot associate this incident to excessive intake of alcohol and drugs, such suspicions are hard to ignore. The surge of hard drugs is of grave concern. And we are appealing to the youth to refrain from such social ills,” he said.
Meanwhile, Moloto appeared in the Bolobedu magistrate’s court on a charge of murder. He was remanded in police custody and will return to court on August 8 for bail application.
