NPA to fight bail for boyfriend linked to murdered woman found in grave

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) plans to put up a fight in the bail application of two men accused of murdering and burying Welkom woman Disebo Mosupa in a used grave last week.

The body of the 30-year-old was found on Friday, buried in a used grave in Thabong cemetery in Welkom. Mosupa, who was an acting youth development officer at Matjhabeng municipality, had been missing for a week when her body was discovered.

Two men arrested for her murder, Andile Siyoko-Mothibi, 42, and Lawrence Ncanca, 37, appeared at the Welkom magistrate's court on Tuesday. Siyoko-Mothibi was alleged to have been Mosupa's boyfriend. 

The duo remain in police custody after making their first court appearance. 

NPA Free State acting spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane told TimesLIVE the state would fight tooth and nail to oppose bail. “The accused are remanded. The state will be opposing any possible bail applications by the accused,” he said. 

The case sparked upset in Welkom after community members participated in searching for Mosupa before the grim discovery. The case was investigated by the Bloemfontein tactical response team and Mangaung detectives, who made the arrests within days of the body being found. 

SAPS spokesperson Brig Motantsi Makhele said Siyoko-Mothibi was arrested in Bloemfontein on Sunday. Ncanca was arrested last Friday. 

ANCYL secretary Mayibuye Bangani applauded the Welkom community's role. He claimed Siyoko-Mothibi was arrested through a municipality-linked payment bait.

“The suspect was on the run and we played our part and trapped him. The suspect [allegedly Siyoko-Mothibi] requested some payment from one of the [municipality] service providers. We sent some money through e-wallet for the suspect to trap him. He fell for the bait and we alerted the police,” Bangani said outside court in an SABC interview.

The sequence of events leading to Mosupa’s death began July 12 when she was last seen by her relatives.

She was reported missing after her father visited her home on July 14 and found that she was not there, and all the doors were locked. The next day, he went back to the house and found the doors open and the house ransacked. Mosupa was nowhere to be found.

Mosupa's memorial service is scheduled for midday on Wednesday at the Ferdi Meyer Hall in Welkom, with her funeral on Saturday morning at the same venue.

TimesLIVE