Child found stuffed in 'friendly' neighbour's suitcase dies, another parent alleges suspect offered drug to his child

The mother of four-year-old Keeya Mbulawa who died after reportedly being drugged, strangled and stuffed in a suitcase is struggling to understand why her daughter's alleged attacker, a tenant who lived on the same property, did this to her.

Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium, Khanyo Mbulawa said she was not ready to rehash the ordeal that unfolded in Protea Glen on January 13. 

“This is a sore wound and something I don’t really want to speak about but I had a good relationship with Nonhle [Matsebula]. She was even connected to my home Wi-Fi and whenever she needed anything, she would knock on my door.

“The day she took Keeya, she even greeted me and there was nothing wrong. Even when she was playing with the children, there was nothing suspicious,” Khanyo said. 

TimesLIVE Premium has since learnt that another child narrowly escaped being also becoming a victim.

Khanyo described Matsebula as a friendly neighbour who  often played with the children who lived on the property.

On Saturday, January 13, her daughter and other children were playing in the yard but Khanyo said she realised she could no longer hear her child’s voice.

None of the other children who had been playing hide-and-seek with Keeya seemed to know  where she was. 

While searching for her, Khanyo said she noticed Matsebula dragging a suitcase and followed her as she headed towards an e-hailing taxi parked outside.

“Keeya was playing with her and the other children [earlier] ... I walked behind Nonhle as she was pulling her bag into a car outside. She only started getting agitated when she got inside the car and I told her she couldn’t leave as we needed to look for Keeya since she was playing hide and seek with her. She started to panic and shake and scream and said she was in a hurry,” Khanyo said. 

A suspicious Mbulawa said she insisted on searching the bag suitcase and when she opened it, found her daughter inside with a sock stuffed in her mouth. Matsebula then fled. 

A devastated Mbulawa said her child was unconscious and they tried to perform CPR while neighbours interrogated the driver of the vehicle who was confirmed to be an innocent Bolt driver. 

He offered to drive them to hospital. Along the way, Mbulawa said she noticed a cable tie about her daughter's neck and they stopped on the side of the road to find something to cut it before proceeding to the hospital. 

Keeya was transferred from the hospital to the Netcare Alberton Hospital where she was reported to be in a critical condition. She died on Wednesday.

Another neighbour, Nhlanhla, who also lives on the premises said he noticed the children playing and Keeya had come to hug him.

Keeya said she was going to play in the yard. 

Nhlanhla said his eight-year-old son had been playing with the other children. Matsebula had allegedly suggested they play hide-and-seek. 

“Before playing hide-and-seek, my son said Nonhle offered him a pill to take but he refused. He said Nonhle then suggested they play but instructed my son where to hide. Again, he refused,” he said.

As for the motive for taking Keeya, Nhlanhla said they were clueless. 

Nhlanhla described Matsebula as a loner who was often awake at night “walking in and out of the yard” while everyone slept. He said she always slept during the day.

“She is from Swaziland and lived on the premises for two years. She was sweet to the children and would give them coins. But she didn’t have friends.”

Khanyo believes her daughter's botched kidnapping was money-related.

“I don’t say it was about me but it was about money. We suspect this is not the first time she did this. There is evidence we came across that indicates that this is not the first,” she said, not going into details. 

While a case of kidnapping was being investigated by police, an additional charge of murder had been added since the child's death, police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said.

“The police are still on the lookout for the suspect, who is still at large,” Masondo said.

Her passport lists her full names as Nonhlenhlelwe Lindeni Matsebula. She is 33 years old.