Angella Johnson
IT was a Friday evening when “Joseph” and “Sinah” settled their two youngest children into bed and retired to their room. As was their custom, they made tea with a herbal concoction bought from the local sangoma. This time, unknown to them, it had been spiked with a deadly poison.
On drinking the potion Sinah, a part-time farm worker, collapsed and died almost instantly. Joseph, a labourer, was rushed to hospital, where he too succumbed to the tobacco insecticide allegedly whipped into the mixture by their 16-year-old son.
The double murder has angered residents of Shongoane III in Palalala, near Ellisras, in the Northern Province, and they want to mete out their own brand of community justice.
Police say they are keeping the suspect in custody for his own protection following death threats – some even from his own family.
The youth, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was apparently angry with his father for having dished out regular beatings with a sjambok as punishment for arriving home late and not attending school regularly.
He ran away from home after his last beating, some three weeks ago, taking the treasured bicycle bought as a present by his parents, and was believed to be living with friends. But neighbours say he often returned home during the day when both his parents were out, or when only his mother and two siblings were in the house.
“We would see him cycle into the yard and then go inside,” said a local resident who gave his name as Vusi. “I didn’t realise that he was no longer staying there and I don’t know what he did when he got inside, but sometimes I would see him leave.”
On Friday December 6, the boy allegedly cycled to his parents’ house sometime in the early afternoon. He walked into the house, seemingly aware that no one was at home.
“Maybe he was watching from somewhere to see them go out,” suggested Vusi. “I saw him go in, but would never have thought him capable of what they say he admitted doing to his parents. It’s a real shame, they were such nice people.”
Inside the house, police believe the youth found the herbal medicine stored in a 2l plastic soft-drink bottle, poured in some crushed tobacco insecticide and gave the container a good shake.
He then left the house and cycled out of the township. It is not clear where he went, but a few hours later both his parents were dead and police launched a hunt for their killer.
Acting on information from local residents, they arrested the 16-year-old youth at about 10am the next day by following his bicycle tracks.
“He was sitting there as if waiting for someone,” said one of the arresting officials. “He looked very tired and deflated, like he had the weight of the world on his young shoulders.”
Sitting amid bushes, the youth failed to spot police creeping up on him from behind, until it was too late. They grabbed him as he made a run for it. Then, fighting back tears, he allegedly told them he had intended to kill his father, but not his mother.
“He seemed to be sorry for what had happened and was trying hard not to cry,” said a detective.
The poison had been stolen from the home of the boy’s uncle.
The murdered couple’s other children – a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl – are being cared for by their grandparents.
Police say both sets of grandparents have threatened to harm the 16-year-old youth, so he is being kept in protective custody.
According to police spokesman Blackie Swart, the youth has been charged with two counts of murder and was expected to appear in court on Friday for the second time this week.
The results of a post-mortem examination have been sent to the police forensic laboratory in Pretoria.