Oscar Magomani still has one of the last messages his daughter Karabo Maluleke sent him shortly before her disappearance and murder.
The 21-year-old North West University (NWU) psychology student had been recognised as one of the top 15% students in her field of study by the Golden Key Southern Africa society. She proudly shared a screenshot of her achievement with her father, saying: “Dad, put some respect on my name” alongside a celebratory emoji.
“She was brilliant, to be honest with you. I still have that message she sent just before she went missing,” Magomani told TimesLIVE Premium in an interview shortly after her killer's conviction.
Maluleke, who was the second of three daughters, was also the first among her siblings to go to a tertiary institution.
Tinyiko Baloyi, 41, was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and burning the young student to death in 2023.
Baloyi, who claimed that Maluleke was his girlfriend, kidnapped the young woman from the NWU Potchefstroom campus on May 27 after suspecting she was in another relationship.
He then kept her captive for three days at a guest house in Roodepoort while her family and friends tried to contact her, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said.
On May 30, Baloyi drove Maluleke to an open field in Doornkop, where he tied her hands and feet, doused her with petrol and burnt her to death.
Her charred remains were only discovered five days later.
Magomani broke his silence just days after Baloyi's sentencing in the Johannesburg high court. He said while the family accepted the hefty sentence handed to her killer, they still believe there are more people connected to this case and that he wasn't acting alone.
The heartbroken father also refuted claims Baloyi had made about his relationship with Maluleke as well as his financial support while she was studying.
Baloyi had said in mitigation of sentence that he had contributed to Maluleke’s wellbeing, including tuition fees and the provision of a laptop.
“He said a lot of stories in court. For instance, he said he was paying for Karabo's accommodation and giving her an allowance but NSFAS (the National Student Financial Aid Scheme) was doing everything.
"[In addition to that] every month, I was sending her R3,000 until she asked me to cut it [to R1,800] so I could take care of her other siblings,” he said.
On the claim of a relationship between the two, Magomani said the family knew a fellow student from Gqeberha to be her boyfriend, and said Baloyi was only known to the family as the friend of a relative.
According to Magomani, Maluleke did not know Baloyi well, but said they could have met while he worked as a long-distance taxi driver.
Magomani opened up on the impact his daughter's death has had on the family, especially her mother Khensane. It was Khensane who had the painful task of identifying her charred remains, recognising Maluleke by her foot.
Khensane also gave a victim impact statement in court and said she had eagerly anticipated her daughter’s academic success as it would have helped improve the family’s circumstances.
“It wasn't easy, but we tried. Our family is a big one so we support each other. It's been [especially] difficult for her mother, even now there's still that trauma, but she's taking it day by day,” he said.
Magomani also spoke fondly of his relationship with Maluleke, revealing they were close and talked every day. Magomani still has a photo of the two of them as his WhatsApp profile picture.
“She was a sweet child and well-behaved. She didn't drink or smoke ... I was very close to her and even her name, I chose it because I was expecting a boy [so I planned to name him Nhlamulo],” he said.
Magomani also spoke of the young woman's ambitions beyond school, saying that she had promised to help him pay off the bond for the house and buy him a car once she obtained her honours degree and found a job.
Magomani said the family rejected Baloyi's apology given his failure to make a full disclosure and his relationship with the family.
“We don't accept his apology because it's too soon. He knows our family, he's not a stranger. He was my younger brother's friend,” he said.
