20-year-old who murdered her family, co-accused appear in Brits Magistrate’s Court

The community of Mmakau near Brits in North West is reeling from shock after a 20-year-old girl confessed to having hired hitmen to kill her parents and siblings in December 2016. Omphile Sebati and two co-accused appeared briefly at the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

They are facing five charges of murder and armed robbery. The alleged hitmen Tumelo Mokone and Kagiso Mokone both aged 23, were arrested two weeks ago, following Sebati’s confession to police.

Omphile Sebati had been playing victim since the shooting incident five years ago. At the time she told the High Court in Pretoria she had escaped the bloody attack after pretending to be dead, lying among family members shot execution-style at their home.

Among the victims, was her father who was a police officer at Hebron Police Station. Sebati recently confessed. A relative, Kabelo Brown, says the family is traumatised.

“Eh, actually as a family we are still shocked even now. Really the things that happened are shocking. We really don’t know what to say. Because what this child did is absolutely not good. Our hearts are not good. The past wounds are now back again. It is hard for us.”

Brown is optimistic that the family will finally see justice being served.

“But anyway we can get the closure because now we know what exactly happened. Because of the confession of the young girl. It is shocking for a 15-year-old girl to can do such a thing. I think maybe there might be something and if police can investigate we might get some other developments.”

Esther Brown, also a relative, worked for the Sebati family at the time. She finds it hard to believe that Omphile orchestrated the murder of her family members. She was 16-years-old when she hired hitmen to kill her parents, her pregnant sister, and a six-year-old boy using her father’s firearm.

“I’m very, very still disturbed and so shocked. But closure is coming. I was so close to this child. Because I was working for their family. So I’m so shocked as I didn’t expect this.”

Locals are equally shocked. This is what they had to say.

“Eish. I don’t what to say or whether I can believe it or not. But the way it happened it’s shocking. Imagine your child doing this to your mother or father.”

“I wish I knew her. I mean a girl of the age of 16, it’s highly impossible to hire a gunman I can’t believe.”

Two suspects were arrested shortly after the multiple murders in 2016. They were acquitted after a marathon trial due to a lack of evidence. The bail application of Sebati and her co-accused, arrested just a few weeks ago, has been postponed to the 13th of January.

Police investigations continue.