Chilling evidence of how Mbizana sangoma Olwethu Mbalwa murdered schoolgirl Sinoyolo Mgaga, beheaded her and dismembered her to use her body parts for muti for financial gain “to make people rich” was heard in the Mthatha High Court sitting in Mbizana.
The evidence was heard on Friday after judge Buyiswa Majiki ruled that a confession made by Mbalwa on October 28 2017 was admissible.
Majiki ruled that it had not been made under duress and that he had not been tortured in police custody.
The court heard that the discovery of the dismembered body of the 17-year-old Grade 10 pupil on October 15 2017 at KwaNikwe in Mbizana, came after Mbalwa in 2013 visited his friend Sipho Mkhize, who is also a sangoma operating in Durban.
Mbalwa said they had discussed how to amass wealth by making muti, using human body parts.
Captain Xolile Mdepa, who obtained the confession dated October 28 2018, read from the document.
“Upon our conversation, Sipho Mkhize told me that if I wanted to be rich I must use muti which have human body parts . He went on to tell me that business people who want their businesses to be profitable would come to me for the same muti and pay a lot of money. The muti in question according to my friend will be mixed with other muti called Chithibhunga, Saqoni, Mayezangoma.
“On October 10 2017 whilst I was at my home I decided to move around looking for a person that I would come across and kill so that I can mutilate him or her. It was about 8pm and I was armed with a bush knife and crowbar. I could not meet any person on the road.”
He said that he spotted a flat along the gravel road and knocked at the door and when nobody opened he removed burglar bars and climbed through a window.
“Inside I saw a young girl sleeping but while I was inside she woke up. There was moonlight that helped me to see the victim.”
He said he tied her up, hacked her to death, placing body parts in a plastic bag.
“I robbed her of her cellphone,” he said.
At home he put the parts in a 20-litre container with water and muti, and also in a glass bottle. He buried both on the banks of the Maboli river.
Mbalwa said Mkhize had told him that the muti he made with Sonoyolo’s body parts would only work after three months.
Mbalwa said he put his simcard in the stolen phone and called his friends.
Prior to his arrest, he had been at the forefront of the march protesting Sinoyolo’s slaughter.
The marchers had demanded that police arrest the killer.
Judge Makiji postponed the case to January 14...