MBOMBELA- A disturbing detail emerged in court on Friday, February 6, as Investigating officer Sgt Pollan Mashiloane testified that Lusanda Mathabela may have been sexually assaulted before her brutal murder.
During the bail hearing of Lungelo Sithole (19), accused number two in Mathabela’s murder case, Sgt Mashiloane told the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court that the accused shouldn’t be granted bail due to the seriousness of the case.
“We conducted a postmortem and her body had 23 plus stab wounds, a big hole in her stomach, and her lungs were out. We also identified some fluids from her private part, which were collected for DNA analysis. We suspect she might have been sexually assaulted before she was killed,” Sgt Mashiloane testified.
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The investigating officer further informed the court that he had collected DNA samples and transferred them to the biology department to determine if sexual assault occurred prior to Mathabela’s death, with results pending.
However, Sithole previously maintained his innocence, claiming he was just accompanying his friend Katlego Mokoena (19), Mathabela’s alleged ex-boyfriend, to her home on the day she was killed, November 3.
Speaking outside the court, Mathabela’s family spokesperson, Ally Sibiya, expressed shock and outrage.
“I have been asking myself why it wasn’t mentioned all along that there’s a possibility she was sexually assaulted before she was killed. Today, I got relieved that all the charges were mentioned in court, including the one we have been suspecting as a family. We are ready for them to be locked up for a very long time, should it happen that they really assaulted her.”
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Sithole and Mokoena face a murder charge and are accused of breaking into Mathabela’s house and stabbing her to death. The case has been postponed to Monday, February 9, for further bail hearing.
