The two people accused of killing a Thembisa school principal and administration clerk are cousins, the family has confirmed.
Bongani Nkosi, the uncle of accused Tuki Benjamin Maditsi, said Maditsi and his co-accused Mokgadi Hope Shongwe are related through their mothers, who are sisters.
Nkosi said the family is shattered by the allegations.
He described Maditsi as an Apostolic church pastor and well-known DJ on the East Rand. “My nephew is well known in the neighbourhood. He can be anything but a murderer. This shocked us all.”
Nkosi said the cousins have always been seen as good people and he cannot understand what could have pushed them into the situation they now face.
He added that Maditsi was arrested the same day he buried his brother. Police found him at home, where Nkosi claims they assaulted him before taking him into custody.
“When I heard he was arrested, I couldn’t believe it.”
TimesLIVE reached out to the Shongwe family for a comment but they declined.
TimesLIVE
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