Family members seek justice for murdered daughter

‘‘The older the berry the sweeter the fruit’’ – by Simphiwe Mandla Malunga

Little Sakhile had it coming that night and had regretted every single moment he had spent with the old woman, she was just a problem with no name. 

‘‘God help me, you know how much I truly want to stop doing this but she seems possessed and just won’t stop until she gets what she wants’’, as Sakhile kept praying. He heard his door being forcefully pushed but fortunately he had placed his father’s not-so-light toolbox right behind the door which prevented the old woman from entering his room.

Sakhile aged 19, was a very bright student among grade 12 pupils at Jikanelanga High School, trusted by his parents as a witful older sibling. 

As he came from school on his neatly worn black and white uniform with shiny black shoes, he followed his daily routine; went to place his school bag in his room, and immediately went to his mother’s room who was unemployed at the time.  

As he approached the room, took a glance at this gorgeous light skinned woman with long dark hair who was sitting on top of the bed right beside his mother, thinking to himself, 'who might this woman be?'

‘’Sakhi, I want you to meet my old High School friend uLizzie, but you ought to call her aunt Elizabeth. She came to visit for a while and at times when your dad and I are out she’ll keep an eye on you and your sister’’, said Sakhile’s mother. 

How I wish you could’ve seen young Sakhile enthusiastically hugging Elizabeth after his mother's introduction; only heavens knew what went inside the 19-year-old’s mind. 

Days became weeks and in a blink of an eye a month had passed since Elizabeth stayed at his home. Now this meant she was now comfortable in walking around the house in her tight clothes showing off 'just too much of her skin'.

Trouble began on the 24^th of March, on a chilly afternoon when Sakhile decided to stay behind with ‘’Auntiza’’- at least that’s how he referred to her. 

‘‘Sakhi, don’t you have airtime that I can use to call my son back home?’’ she asked. 'Nazo (there you go), just don’t forget to save your contacts after you done for future purposes', Sakhile handing over his phone. 

Later that evening after dinner was served, it was then time to head off to bed, little Sakhi became the first to call it a night. What he did that night was startling!

‘Hey’, as he texted Elizabeth who slept on the room outside, ‘hello Sakhi’, she replied. The eagerness to have a chat with Elizabeth grew worse with time.

After a while chatting, Elizabeth then sent Sakhile a random picture of a naked woman which evoked little Sakhi. 

It was now too obvious that this woman had imprudent intensions judging from the context of the photograph she sent. The chatting continued and flattery texts were exchanged between the pair, who would've imagined, a 19-year-old boy flirting with a 36-year-old woman who was a mother to a 16 year old? 

You could tell that their conversation flowed smoothly as little Sakhi justified his intensions by responding to her saying: ‘‘If you would give me a chance I would use it sparingly and don’t mind about my parents, if you won’t tell them a thing neither will I’’

The hesitant Elizabeth who was deep in her blankets responded to little Sakhi’s message saying that she did not have a problem in doing what he asked her as long as no one wouldn’t find out about their 'evil deeds'. 

They then concluded to meet thrice a week given that Elizabeth was the one who would pay Sakhile a visit in his room each time she wanted gratification. Both individuals were jolly for three consecutive weeks in their mutual benefits, little Sakhi would even boast to his close friends and use phrases like ‘‘the older the berry the sweeter the fruit’’. You reap what you sow. Little Sakhi started feeling the heat, he now realised that his size 28 trousers started becoming bigger in size which meant that he was losing every fat in his body because while his parents thought he was sleeping old Elizabeth kept him awake.

Elizabeth had broken the rules now, she would come to Sakhile’s room unexpectedly on days no-end, although she was cautious that Sakhi’s mother ‘‘her friend’’ nor his father do not suspect a thing. Little Sakhi was now depressed and felt used not keeping in mind that he was the one who sweet-talked the old woman. It was on the 17^th of July in the early hours that old Elizabeth started having frequent visits to the loo, vomiting. 

She instantly knew what was wrong with her and couldn’t wait until Sakhile came back from school. Later that day she did as usual headed to Sakhi’s room to let him know about the incident, not being aware that little Sakhi was fed up and decided to place his father’s tool box each time he went to sleep from that day onwards. 

©Simphiwe Malunga