Mystery surrounds the death of the SA man who was found hanging from a tree in Zimbabwe on New Year’s Day, with his family saying they do not believe he died by suicide but that he was murdered. Sowetan has learnt that Thabang Mokonyane, 23, from Mokopane, in Limpopo, had gone to Lutumba near Beitbridge in Zimbabwe on December 30 to make amends with Khathutshelo Mbedzi, who was his girlfriend and the mother of his three-year-old child. Mokonyane’s family also claims no knowledge about his trip, as they were under the impression that he did not possess a passport.
According to them, he had left Mokopane to sell nuts in Polokwane. However, they were shocked to receive a call from Mbedzi that their son had died by suicide. They were also sent pictures of the scene where he allegedly died.
“We don’t believe what we saw in that picture … his feet are touching the ground while they say he hanged himself. Parts of the rope he allegedly used are also loosely grounded near his feet.
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“If he had hanged himself, he would have turned and kicked [the air], so we don’t understand how the rope is on the feet. This is the answer we would seek after his burial,” said his aunt Evan Mongwe. Mongwe said Mokonyane’s pants along the knees were dirty as if he had been kneeling before he died.
She said they were also surprised to learn that Mbedzi was from Zimbabwe, as they assumed she was from Venda. “We are suspicious, but we are told that he died by suicide; we are only accepting this version because we want to be assisted with repatriating his body,” said Mongwe. We are suspicious, but we are told that he died by suicide; we are only accepting this version because we want to be assisted with repatriating his body Mbedzi and Mokonyane had been dating since 2022 and when they broke up last year, she left their child with Mokonyane’s family in December before she went home for the festive holidays. Mbedzi told Sowetan yesterday that she became aware on December 31 that Mokonyane was in Zimbabwe when her siblings called her.
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