KZN man admits to killing two women on Women's Day after they 'made him angry'

A 60-year-old security guard admitted to killing two KwaZulu-Natal women because they embarrassed him and accused him of stealing. 

Thokozani Mhlongo admitted in the Pietermaritzburg high court on Thursday to killing Zanele Doris Mbuso, 61, and Monica Sophia Xulu, 81, and burying them in a shallow grave in Umgababa, south of Durban, on Women's Day.

Mhlongo was arrested three days after the discovery of the bodies after the women went missing on August 9 outside a crèche. 

Mhlongo was employed as a security guard at a crèche owned by Xulu and Mbuso was her assistant.  

In his plea, read out in court by his attorney Amanda Hulley, Mhlongo said he met Xulu in October 2014 and approached her for a job as she owned a crèche.

He confided in her that he had no family and his home was destroyed in 1994 and asked her to keep his background a secret. 

Xulu employed Mhlongo as a security guard for the creche and in return, he would live in the outbuilding for free. Mbuso was in charge of the kitchen at the creche.

Mhlongo said earlier this year he had issues with Mbuso as she kept accusing him of stealing food from the kitchen. 

“Xulu told me she knew I didn't steal. In the first week of August the gardener at the creche asked me about my background and informed me she knew I had no family home. I asked Xulu if she told her, as I had asked her to keep it a secret, and she apologised.

“A few days later, I heard people talking about me behind my back and laughing that I have no home. This upset me and I wanted to ask Xulu as only she knew. On August 9, I was the only person at the creche and at about 2pm Xulu and Mbuso arrived with packets of food.”

While Xulu was in the creche hall and Mbuso in the kitchen, Mhlongo said he approached Xulu and told her he was hurt that everyone knew his family secret and they were laughing at him.

Mhlongo said Xulu responded that she could not do anything and she was tired of him stealing food from the creche kitchen. 

Mhlongo said he got “angry and furious” at her response. 

He asked Mbuso why she was falsely accusing him of stealing food while he didn’t have a key. 

“They ignored me and started talking to each other. I got angry and went to my security room as I wanted revenge for how they were treating me. I took my nunchucks and rope to assault them. I approached them and assaulted Mbuso on the back of her head once with my nunchucks. She fell to the floor. I then strangled Xulu until she was still. While I was strangling Xulu, Mbuso ran into the kitchen. Once Xulu was still, I grabbed Mbuso and took her back to the hall. 

“I made her sit on the chair and tied her legs with the rope. I tied her hands to her back with a rope. I covered her face with a plastic packet and placed my nunchucks around her neck. I strangled her with the nunchucks until she was still.”

He decided to dig graves outside the creche to bury them and took their cellphones. 

One of the phones kept ringing and he decided to throw it on a path near the creche. 

Days later, the two women were found and Mhlongo was arrested. 

“I was charged at the police station. I admitted I committed the offences and I made a confession,” he said. 

Mhlongo is due back in court on Monday for sentencing.

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