#PalesaMadiba speaks from grave
The DNA of a skull and bones found in a shallow grave at a Soweto house has been positively matched to Palesa Madiba.
|||Johannesburg - The DNA of a human skull and bones found in a shallow grave in the yard of a Soweto house last week has been positively matched to Palesa Madiba.
And it has now emerged that someone close to the family in Phiri, where Madiba was last seen alive in August 2013, may have noticed something sinister soon after the 22-year-old University of Johannesburg student went missing.
On Wednesday, a source close to the investigations told The Star that not long after Madiba went missing, the same person who made the call to the police about a skeleton sticking out of the ground had noticed the ground below the washing line was sinking slightly.
At the time, the person had alerted the family living in the house, but family members had simply put a door on the surface to make it easier to walk on.
Both Madiba’s family and the police had been searching for information on Madiba’s whereabouts since she was last seen at her friend Tshidi Mkhwanazi’s house following a weekend-long stay.
On Wednesday, a source also revealed that a new statement has been given to the police which has led to the tightening of the net around the prime suspects.
Three people may have been involved in her disappearance.
Police would not, however, comment on the case, saying anyinformation they give out could jeopardise their investigation.
Madiba was last seen by Mkhwanazi’s uncle, who lived in the outside room of the house. The uncle had been taken in for questioning at the time but was released later.
Subsequently, he issued Palesa’s family with a restraining order, claiming they were harassing him.
But on the morning of December 16, an anonymous caller phoned Moroka police station saying there was a body buried in the backyard of Tshidi’s home in Phiri.
On Tuesday, an hour before midnight, police arrived at the home where Madiba lived before her murder. They came to confirm what Madiba’s family had already known two weeks ago, since the skeleton was found.
It was her body that had been found buried under the washing line of the house in Phiri.
But Palesa’s family had to wait until the police knocked on their door around 11pm on Tuesday.
When the police broke the news to Madiba’s uncles, aunt and younger sister, they weren't surprised.
“They were not shocked at all. Ever since they saw the picture of the skeleton they knew it was her. The dental structure was almost identical,” said the source, who added that the police had come late because of concerns the results would be leaked to the media.
The source said the family were waiting for the police to release the body so they could bury her in peace.
Family members were not willing to talk on Wednesday.
However, on social media, #PalesaMadiba trended, with many blaming Mkhwanazi’s family.
On Twitter, @wiseprince asked: “Did police visit home where #PalesaMadiba was last seen?Did they not notice anything in the yard? Her friends, family. Did they not notice?”
@wasemambatheni added: “#PalesaMadiba anybody buried in your yard... is your responsibility, the whole Mkhwanazi family should be jailed.”
Others were grateful that Madiba’s family would get closure.
“Although it’s in the worst possible way, at least #PalesaMadiba’s family have got closure. Healing can now begin. May she rest in peace,” said @MsCougar21 whose sentiments were echoed by @khayadlanga: “Her family are one step towards closure. Now they need to know why, who, what and when. Only then will they get closure.”
lerato.mbangeni@inl.co.za
The Star
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