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The message is clear.

Univen “serial killer” remains in custody

 

So many things have been said about the whereabouts of Ndivhuho Ntsieni (24), dubbed the "Thohoyandou serial killer" after his arrest and appearance in court in July this year. There are speculations that he had been admitted to a mental institution with some people saying he had been released due to lack of evidence.

The truth is that Ntsieni is still in custody and he appeared in court on Tuesday.

During his appearance, community structures, which included the Moral Regeneration Movement in Vhembe, Cosatu, Vhembe Pastors Forum, ANC Women’s League, Univen students and the Safer South Africa Foundation were there to protest against him being granted bail. The court was packed to capacity and there was heavy police presence in and outside court.

A memorandum opposing the granting of bail was also handed to the head of the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court, Sr Magistrate Azwihangwisi Ramavhale.

Ntsieni appeared through Audio Visual Remand Technology, which allows him to appear in court on television screens while still remaining in prison. The filled to capacity court was left disappointed after it became clear that they would not see the man in person.

In an appearance that lasted less than ten minutes, Ntsieni’s case was postponed to 10 December for further investigations. This is the second appearance since his arrest in July.

Representing the accused, Mr Derrick Mabasa from the Legal Aid South Africa argued that the continuous postponement would impact negatively on his client. State prosecutor Mashudu Nekhumbe argued that the investigation was not yet complete, as they were still awaiting the forensic results. “It must be kept in mind that we have only one lab in Pretoria serving the whole country and results could take a bit long. It must also be borne in mind that the accused is facing many charges which also still have to be decided upon by the director for public prosecutions,” said Nekhumbe.

The chairperson of the Moral Regeneration Movement in Vhembe, Ms Alilali Singo said that the law should take its course and justice should be seen to prevail. “Our being here is a clear sign that we are against the killing of people, more especially women and children, and we hope that we have made a statement that the killer should not be granted bail as we will not be safe if he is outside,” she said.

Ms Florence Radzilani of the ANC Women's League added that they have deliberated about the scourge of the killing of women and children during their recent conference in Thohoyandou. “We have decided to join ranks with other community structures to fight the scourge and we hope that the postponement is for the good of all of us, given the reasons advanced by the magistrate which we feel are genuine,” she said.

Ms Margareth Ndou, the mother of boxer Philip Ndou, and the aunt of one of the victims, Tshililo Ndou (9), said that the fact that the accused did not appear in person was a blow to the family. “We have not seen him after his arrest and we had hoped that we would have had a chance to see him here in court today. This man has left a heartache that would not heal for the rest of my life. I raised this girl from the age of 11 months and just imagine that after eight full years she has been snatched from me never to return."

Ntsieni, a final year BSc student at Univen, faces 16 counts which include four murders, attempted rape, robbery, kidnapping, rape and attempted murder, after he had been linked to crimes at Univen and areas around the campus.

During his arrest, Ntsieni was found in possession of a Univen student identification card and cell phone, allegedly both belonging to Ms Sandy Thagisa. She had been heavily assaulted at Golgotha near the Univen campus in May this year. Also found in his possession were a cell phone belonging to the late Brenda Ndove and a hairpin belonging to another murdered woman, Livhuwani Mbodi.

News - Date: 24 October 2014

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Ms Margareth Ndou, aunt of Tshililo Ndou who was killed in April this year.

Part of the huge crowd that gathered outside the Thohoyandou magistrate courts.

Tshililo Ndou (9) who was killed in April.

The alleged Univen serial killer, Ndivhuho Ntsieni.

 

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Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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