Zestah September's sister fears relationships: mother

The mother of Zestah September‚ who was murdered and burnt by her boyfriend‚ SANDF soldier Zwelabantu Ngubeni‚ on Thursday painted a grim picture of how the family’s life had forever been altered by her death.

“I have two girls. One suffered from depression and ended up losing her job. The second one is in varsity. She hasn’t got a boyfriend. She can’t stand boyfriends after what happened to her sister‚” said Mono September.

Asked how she felt about Ngubeni‚ who has since been convicted of her daughter’s murder‚ the grieving mother’s voice broke as she uttered: “He is an animal.”

The family had believed Ngubeni‚ who lived with September in an apartment in Protea Glen‚ Soweto‚ had strangled her to death and then burnt her.

During the trial however‚ it emerged that she had been stabbed several times‚ with one laceration‚ just below her breast‚ measuring 45cm.

“It’s painful. We thought he had only strangled and burnt her. We found out that he had assaulted her‚” said Mono.

The family’s wounds were re-opened when news of Karabo Mokoena’s murder broke earlier this year.

Mokoena‚ who like September was also from Soweto‚ was alleged to have also been killed by her boyfriend‚ Sandile Mantsoe.

Her charred remains were found in a ditch in Lyndhurst.

Mantsoe has denied killing her‚ alleging that he had returned home to find that she had committed suicide. He claimed to have disposed of her body out of fear that he would have been blamed for killing her.

September was murdered on December 29‚ 2015.

Ngubeni had spent an entire day in the flat with her lifeless body before he took it to an open veld in Lenasia where he set it alight.

He was charged with her murder after traces of blood were found on the bottom of a curtain in their bedroom. An inspection of the room led police to a blood-soaked mattress‚ pillow and duvet inner.

The soldier had pleaded not guilty to the murder‚ alleging that he blacked out and awoke to find his hands around his girlfriend’s motionless body.

The couple had been arguing after September revealed she was still seeing a man she had earlier cheated with.

Ngubeni returns to court on September 18 when he is to be sentenced.