Photo of Ayakha Jiyane and her three siblings, circulated shortly after her kidnapping was reported – @SSSIBIYA / Twitter
Photo of Ayakha Jiyane and her three siblings, circulated shortly after her kidnapping was reported – @SSSIBIYA / Twitter
A crime of unspeakable horror has etched itself onto the South African psyche on Wednesday: Sibusiso Mpungose has been arrested on suspicion of murder, as three of his children – and his teenage stepdaughter – had been hanged at his property in KwaZulu-Natal.
In a week that has seen a string of deplorable murders bring South Africans to their breaking point, this crime tops the lot. Mpungose went on the run on Tuesday, before being apprehended earlier this afternoon. He’s the prime suspect in the case, and this is what we know about him:
Who is Sibusiso Mpungose?
Basic information
- Name:Sibusiso Mpungose
- Age: In his forties
- Location: He lives in Wyebank, KZN – which is near Pinetown
- Names of children: Siphesihle, Khwezi and Kuhlekonke and Ayakha
The crime
The bodies were found shortly after 14:30 on Tuesday afternoon, with the police issuing a statement on this heinous crime later on in the evening. They revealed that the father had deliberately taken his children out of school in the middle of the day, and his teenage stepdaughter was killed some time afterwards.
His biological children were aged four, six and 10 respectively. They were found hanging in the house. It’s understood that Ayakha Jiyane – the 16-year-old victim – was reported kidnapped on Tuesday afternoon. It’s alleged that she was forced into a vehicle outside of Pinetown Girls High against her will and that was the last reported sighting of the teenager. She was discovered in some bushes nearby, and had also been hung.
Possible motivations
It has been reported by local publication The Mercury that he and his partner were in the middle of a bitter divorce, with the papers being handed over to the multiple-murder suspect on Tuesday morning. Police are investigating the possibility that the heinous crime was to “spite” his soon-to-be-former spouse.
The granny of the family who’s grandchildren were hung by their father says her daughter (mother) has always been abused but said nothin because women are taught to persevere in marriage. #WyebankMurders @ECR_Newswatch pic.twitter.com/vm1tQOWgl2
— Steve Bhengu (@SteveBhengu) September 4, 2019
Sibusiso Mpungose: A history of violence?
Some media teams have already visited the scene of the tragic murders in Wyebank, and testimonials from neighbours have been far from flattering. One local resident suggested that just 24 hours ago, Sibusiso Mpunhgose’s wife had made it public that her husband had been abusing her, and threatening to kill her:
Dudu Dladla, a neighbour, says the mother of the children had frantically told her yesterday that the husband was beating her children and had threatened to kill her. #WyebankMurders pic.twitter.com/PyFVaPFg4f
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) September 4, 2019
