The family of one of the two Soweto boys whose bodies were found mutilated on April 20 2023 hopes that the High Court will find the suspects guilty.
This was after Nqobile Ndlovu, 50, and her partner, Mthunzi Zulu, 39, made their seventh appearance at the Protea magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
The pair faces two counts of murder related to the brutal killings of five-year-old Nqobizitha Zulu and six-year-old Tshiamo Rabanye.
Ndlovu and Zulu are also charged with kidnapping, perjury and defeating the ends of justice.
Their bodies were found in Soweto in White City, and the other was a short distance away in Rockville.
Trial date set for May 31
On Wednesday, the court ruled that the trial date of the suspects be set for May 31 at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
Ndlovu is Tshiamo’s grandmother, while Zulu is not related to Nqobizitha.
The accused remain in custody at Johannesburg Prison, also known as Sun City Prison, just outside Soweto, until the start of their trial.
Ndlovu and Zulu abandoned their formal bail applications in May.
After the court proceedings, Nqobizitha’s mother, Nomthandazo Zulu, 38, said she is happy that the matter has been referred to the High Court for trial.
Nomthandazo said the High Court must find her son’s alleged killers guilty and hand them a life sentence.
“They [suspects] should be thrown in a pit. [These people] do not deserve to be part of society. They must rot in jail,” said Nomthandazo.
Nqobizitha’s father, Zolile Corenl Zondo, 47, also said the High Court should carry out a life sentence against Ndlovu and Zulu.
Hopes pinned on High Court for justice
“The High Court has no time to play. [It] will take this case seriously and finish it quickly. They [suspects] should just live in jail for the rest of their lives. My child did nothing to them. Those children did nothing to them. Why would you kill innocent children who have harmed no one,” said Zondo.
Zondo and Nomthandazo started dating in 2014 and separated in 2021.
During their first court appearance on April 28 last year, Zulu said he had no previous convictions or pending cases. Ndlovu told the court that she was convicted of assault when she was 19 years old.
She said at the time that she received a suspended sentence for her assault conviction, adding that she had no pending cases.
Ndlovu and Zulu were arrested on April 25 last year following a forensic investigation at the boys’ homes.
In October last year, Sunday World reported that Ndlovu made a confession to police about how she killed the boys with a knife.
A police source close to the case said Ndlovu made the confession on April 26 last year, a day after the couple’s arrest.
Deceased boys last seen playing near suspect’s home
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has since denied the existence of a confession.
The boys were last seen playing outside Tshiamo’s home, less than 100 metres away from Nqobizitha’s home.
At the time of their murders, they were pupils at Isiseko Primary School in White City.
A joint funeral service was held for Tshiamo and Nqobizitha at the Jabavu Stadium in Soweto in April last year. They were buried at Olifantsvlei Cemetery, south of Johannesburg.
