A 21-YEAR-OLD man tragically ended his step mum’s life and then surrendered himself to the police.
He claimed to the authorities that he found muthi in her bedroom, which he believed she used to bewitch him. His dad was shocked when the police informed him of the incident on 24 July.
The dad, Perma Roos hurried to their rented home in Hallgate plots, near his workplace, only to find his wife, 50-year-old Anna Tshabalala’s body on the bed with blood stains on her face. On arrival, police found him by his wife’s body, in tears.
Captain Nelda Sekgobela, spokeswoman for the Ekurhuleni district police, South Africa, mentioned that the victim appeared to have been assaulted and strangled.
The distraught father from Nigel said: “I can’t understand what made my son despise Anna so deeply. She loved him as her own, despite his personal issues.”
He refuted claims that his son’s accusations of witchcraft were true, suggesting that the son was looking for a scapegoat.
“The muthi he believed Anna used to bewitch him was actually for inducing vomiting (ukugabha). Anna was not one to use muthi,” he explained.
Perma found traces of the vomiting muthi on the bed, which he suspects might have angered his son, especially after he announced their impending move to a new RDP house in Heidelberg and his marriage to Anna.
“I don’t think he was pleased with the news, nor that I had married Anna. I had separated from his mum a long time ago, and Anna wasn’t involved then. Anna treated both of us well. I’ve lost my pillar of strength,” he said.
Finah Sebiloane, a relative of the de@d woman, described Anna as a peaceful person.
“She enjoyed her beer, and muthi was not something she would resort to. I’m not defending her. She was truly a forgiving person,” said Finah Sebiloane, her sister-in-law.
Finah recalled that Anna often complained that her stepson treated her badly, as he didn’t accept her.
“But we never imagined Anna would meet her end at the hands of her stepson,” she said.
Sekgobela confirmed that the suspect was charged with murder and appeared in court on 25 July.
