The community of KwaNzimakwe near Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast has expressed relief after a man charged with four counts of murder pleaded guilty in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
Thirty-two-year-old Ben Mbhele allegedly stabbed to death four of his sister’s children in September last year. Angry members of the community, who travelled from Port Shepstone to Pietermaritzburg, praised police for the speedy arrest.
They also called for a hefty sentence. “As a community of KwaNzimakwe we are quite excited and relieved that the accused has pleaded guilty that he killed his sister’s kids, a person of his nature and his calibre cannot be a resident and live within our people,” says Spokesperson for KwaNzimakwe community, Bheki Khuse.
Family spokesperson Nkosinathi Mbhele has also welcomed the guilty plea. However, he says it must also be revealed where the missing body parts of the children are. The children’s ears had been cut off. He believes they were meant to be used for muthi.
“We welcome his decision to admit on the four charges that were committed on 1 September 2017. As the family we welcome the decision.”
