Jan Taljaard and Annicia Reddiar=20
MOSES SITHOLE, prime suspect in the Gauteng serial =20 killings, was caught by police this week and is likely =20 to stand trial for the murder of up to 40 young women -=20 – but it had almost gone the other way.=20
In an almost uncanny replay of the incident in which =20 another serial killer suspect, David Selepe, was killed =20 last year, the police this week shot and nearly killed =20 Sithole before he could provide solutions to the =20 riddles that had plagued the investigation since =20 December last year.=20
Claiming that Sithole came at them with an axe, =20 detectives fired at least two shots at him, one hitting =20 him in the arm and another in the stomach.=20
Last week, when police released Sithole’s name and =20 photograph to the media, national commissioner George =20 Fivaz was at pains to emphasise that Sithole should =20 under no circumstances be harmed if apprehended by the =20 community. =20
Reacting to allegations that the same message did not =20 seem to have reached detectives, police spokesman Reg =20 Crewe said on Thursday that an investigation would be =20 held to determine whether the shooting of Sithole was =20 justified. He said Sithole was in a satisfactory =20 condition and that he would in all probability be able =20 to stand trial.=20
It is believed the police breakthrough came after they =20 spoke to colleagues of Mokaba Mogotsi, one of the =20 Gauteng serial killer’s victims=20
According to Mogotsi’s colleagues at an East Rand =20 children’s home, she first met Sithole when he visited =20 the home for street children where she worked. He =20 arrived there with a photographer he had met, =20 introduced himself under a false name, and said he =20 worked for an organisation called “Youth Against Human =20 Abuse”, which was tracing the families of street =20 children. Sithole is apparently known by many Gauteng =20 children’s organisations and is believed to have worked =20 with or had much contact with street kids.=20
The photographer, a freelancer who wishes to remain =20 anonymous, first met Sithole when a Johanesburg =20 newspaper assigned him to a story which Sithole had =20 told them about. The next time they met, both visited =20 the home where Mogotsi worked, to return two street =20 children who had previously lived there.=20
Sithole apparently asked Mogotsi: “How much do you earn =20 here?” When she told him her salary, he exclaimed: “So =20 little money? I’m going to give you R1 000 and =20 something.” =20
During a subsequent visit, Sithole talked to Mogotsi =20 again. Staff say he charmed her: “He promised her a =20 job. A better job and money and benefits. He gave her =20 forms for a job. She trusted him because she was =20 excited. She said: ‘I’m not coming to work tomorrow =20 because this man is taking me on a date to Johannesburg =20 to have some lunch.'”=20
Mogotsi took off work without permission when she went =20 for her date, and her fellow workers covered for her. =20 But they began to worry when she had not returned after =20 a few days. Then Mogotsi’s mother came to the home and =20 told the principal that Mogotsi had not come home for a =20 few days. Mogotsi was reported as a missing person. A =20 few weeks later her family and friends were told that =20 her body had been found.=20