Family Warned Nosipho About Abusive Boyfriend Before Chopped Body Was Found In A Bag

Nosipho Nontobeko Msithini, 20, was last seen arguing with her boyfriend on Saturday before her chopped body was discovered stuffed in a sports bag which fell out of a trolley her boyfriend was seen pushing the following day.

On seeing the gruesome contents of the bag, the community took turns assaulting the boyfriend, SimbalalaTwala, 38, until he lost consciousness and had to be rushed to hospital, where he is now fighting for his life in the intensive care unit under police guards.

The incident happened at the weekend in Barberton, Mpumalanga.

According to Msithini’s family, the two had a toxic relationship that often resulted in violence. The most recent incident reported to the police was last year, when Twala allegedly hacked Msithini. Nosipho allegedly opened a case of assault, but later withdrew it and carried on dating and working together with her boyfriend in a hair salon, where he was a barber and she was a hairdresser. They also lived together and their neighbour had seen them arguing the day before she was found dead.

According to the police, Twala was stopped on his way to a dump site while pushing the trolley with the black bag in it.

“The suspicious-looking man caught the attention of three ladies who saw him pushing a trolley that seemed to be carrying a very heavy load. The ladies then stopped a taxi operator and told him what they had just seen. Upon seeing them, the man panicked and the bag fell from his trolley. The bag was opened and the body of the lady was found inside,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala.

The police were called and found the man being assaulted by the community. He was rescued and taken to hospital, said Mohlala.

The family identified Nosipho by her head, which was in a smaller bag in the trolley. Her body had been chopped into six pieces.

Msithini’s uncle, Simone Mahlalela, said they had tried to prevent the deceased from continuing with the affair because of the volatile relationship they had.

“They had a history of violence and this boy would beat her up and hack her and last year we went to report him to the police for assaulting her but he was later released and they got back together again. She actually didn’t want him arrested and she withdrew the charge against him,” said Mahlalela.

He said Msithini’s death was painful to the family.

“Her death has hit us very badly. She was a good girl despite her faults and fell in love with the wrong person. She didn’t want us to separate them and she would even get angry at us when we tried. We tried to remove her from him by all means. Even her mother would lock her in the house but somehow she’d manage to slip out,” said Mahlalela.

In its research conducted last year the Commission for Gender Equality found that while cases of gender-based violence were increasing, many of them were being withdrawn by complainants.

“The findings also depicted the alarming withdrawal of cases by victims, high levels of poverty and distance from police stations and courts as some hindering factors for victims’ ability to access justice,” the report stated.-Sowetan