WARNING: The following story contains graphic details
The family of 27-year-old Sibongile Ngwana has expressed having mixed emotions after DNA results confirmed the charred remains found in a stream along the M10 in Bloemfontein, as belonging to Sibongile Ngwana.
Ngwana was reported missing at the Mangaung Police Station last year in November after going to a tavern near her home. Two men have since been arrested for her murder after one of them confessed to police to killing her and setting her body alight.
The painful and desperate journey of waiting for the DNA results has ended for the Ngwana family. Devastated by the news that brought back the pain of the gruesome loss, the Ngwana family say they can finally breathe a sigh of relief following the disappearance of their daughter after they waited for more than six months for the DNA results.
Ngwana died after having been hit with a hammer over the head. Her body was then set alight.
Her cousin, Thandeka Momani, says the family is saddened by her gruesome murder.
“We received her DNA yesterday. The results came back positive, confirming that it was indeed Sibongile’s body. To be honest, it is a relief to us as a family. Finally, we have closure, that it is our sister. It confirms that she is really no more. First of all, it’s not easy, but we are coping and we are looking forward to doing this ceremonial [funeral] service.”
The family is still in disbelief after visiting the mortuary and seeing her remains.
Momane says what they saw doesn’t resemble the Sibongile they knew.
“They prepared us that it is only the remains, but we hoped to see the skin, the body, maybe a part of the body. But when we got there things were not what we were expecting. The condition was very bad,” says Momane.
Ngwana’s missing report came in the thick of reports of missing females in Bloemfontein and in the province. It has caused uproar from Gender-based violence activists.
Organization against Gender-Based Violence (OGBV), Buang Basadi, expressed their condolences to the Ngwana family. Their representative, Thokozile Nogabe, says the release of DNA results in Ngwana’s case was long overdue.
She has called for the scourge of kidnappings and killing of women to come to an end.
“For us at Buang Basadi the excitement was that finally the Ngwana family is going to find closure. We have been supporting the family these past six months of waiting and we also wanted justice for Sibongile,” she says.
The two accused in Ngwana’s killing and kidnapping case will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on the 18th of June.
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