Karabo Mokoena: Mother weeps as she confronts daughter’s alleged killer in court
Recall Singer Niyola’s friend was allegedly killed by an abusive boyfriend? Here’s an update on the story as reported by News24…
The mother of Karabo Mokoena was in a state of despair when she arrived at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, to face the man accused of brutally killing her daughter.
The 27-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after the burnt body of his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend was found by police in a veld in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg on April 29 after being reported missing the day before.
Mokoena’s distraught mother wept while she made her way around the courthouse surrounded by an entourage of relatives and friends.
Wearing a black dress with a red shawl over her shoulders, she focused her bloodshot eyes on the floor as a relative comforted her.
Some of Mokoena’s relatives and friends consoled each other, while journalists camped outside room G25, waiting for the case docket to arrive from the police station so the matter could begin.
A handful of women clad in EFF regalia are expected to attend the court case.
On Thursday, Tshepo Mokoena, Karabo’s uncle, told News24 that her parents were too traumatised to talk to anyone about the circumstances surrounding their daughter’s death.
On Thursday afternoon, the family went to the mortuary to identify her body. Mokoena said he was unable to recognise his niece in the picture provided by the mortuary.
“Everyone is traumatised, I mean if your child is burnt beyond recognition, it’s just sad. I could not even see the child, we had to look through pictures to identify her.”
Mokoena, who is also the chairperson of Moving Ahead Development Agency, said his niece was in an on-and-off relationship with the 27-year-old man.
Mokoena said he was also traumatised at losing what felt like a daughter to him, as he felt like he had raised her. He also welcomed the support that the family had received from various community members.
