The family of the man whose body was recovered from a Grahamstown dam last week say they could have dealt more easily with his death had he been shot, than being told about the horrific manner in which he was allegedly tortured before eventually dying.
The family of the man whose body was recovered from a Grahamstown dam last week say they could have dealt more easily with his death had he been shot, than being told about the horrific manner in which he was allegedly tortured before eventually dying.
The family of Thembelani Qwakanisa, 29, whose body was dumped in Zion Dam in Extension 6 after his brutal death say they still can’t believe what happened to him.
The family was told shocking details about Qwakanisa’s alleged torture. Grocott’s Mail visited the family in their Extension 6 home on Monday 10 October.
On arrival, the family was preparing for an evening prayer and Qwakanisa’s relatives opened up about how what the police have described as a gruesome murder had affected them.
Patrick Gagayi, Qwakanisa’s elder brother, told Grocott’s Mail that the last time they saw him was on Saturday, 1 October.
Gagayi said that Saturday Qwakanisa had gone out with his sister, Funiwe Ngwendu. He said Ngwendu returned and left Qwakanisa behind where they were enjoying themselves, adding that it was the last time the family saw the deceased.
Gagayi said Qwakanisa had been living with a friend in Extension 9 at the time of his death. This was in order to be closer to his girlfriend, who lives in that area.
Gagayi said it took a while for them to realise that something might have happened to their brother. He said police circulated an image of Qwakanisa in various areas, including at taxi ranks, after his body was found in the dam.
“They were trying to identify his relatives and we as the family identified that it was Thembelani.”
Gagayi said after they had identified Qwakanisa’s body the police went to his friend’s house in Extension 9 where he had been living; however, his friend said he was not aware of his whereabouts.
“His friend told the police that he had gone out to look for Thembelani in a house where they used to smoke [dagga]with friends.
That friend said “On arrival he was told Thembelani was not there. He said they did not even allow him to come inside the house,” said Gagayi.
Police then went to that house. According to Gagayi, that was where they found evidence that a crime had been committed.
Gagayi said according to information the family had received, the suspects had tortured Qwakanisa for a long time.
He said he had been told that after his brother died, his body was hidden in the room where he had allegedly been tortured and had subsequently died.
Gagayi said he had been told that his brother’s attackers waited for nightfall before they wrapped him in a carpet and loaded him into a wheelbarrow.
“They allegedly pushed his body all the way from Extension 9 to the Extension 6, Zion Dam where they dumped his body. “It’s very disturbing and painful what they did to Thembelani,” the brother said.
“They should have rather shot him instead of doing all what they did. It looks like they were killing a person whom they have been looking for over a long time,” Gagayi said.
The suspects in the murder case are Thembani Onceya, 28, Akhona Onceya, 28, Simakele Onceya, 22, Siviwe Gqotholo, 29, and Degree Mzwanele Mali, 25.
