
IT’S been four years since she lost the niece who was like a daughter to her – the young woman she’d raised since she was a little girl.
Her niece, Hlengiwe Msimango, was shot dead in the bedroom of her home in Norkem Park, east of Johannesburg, in a case that has awful echoes of Reeva Steenkamp’s 2013 death at the hands of her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius.
Hlengiwe’s fiancé, Musa Ntsibande, shot her in the early hours of 3 August 2020, claiming he believed an intruder was in the house.
During his trial Ntsibande said Hlengiwe had woken him and told him she could hear people outside their home. He grabbed his firearm and went to investigate but found nothing and returned to bed.
At around 4am he was woken by a noise and said he saw a shadow behind the bedroom curtain. He fired three shots, killing Hlengiwe as their baby boy slept in the room.
Two other children – Hlengiwe’s now eight-year-old daughter and Ntsibande’s now six-year-old son – were asleep in their bedrooms.
The case made headlines across the country. Ntsibande was a prosperous businessman, part-owner of a construction company, and Hlengiwe was his beautiful wife-to-be. They seemed to have it all – until everything fell apart.
Ntsibande was recently sentenced to 12 years for murder – but for Hlengiwe’s aunt, Thandi Nkumane, it isn’t justice enough.
Thandi raised her niece after Hlengiwe’s mother was murdered. Now Hlengiwe is gone too.
“Her biggest wish was to be a loving mother to her children because she never knew that love from her mother,” Thandi says.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 23 May 2024-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 23 May 2024-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden

ONE OF A KIND
She survived a violent stepfather and being raped by a bandmate as well as rampant showbiz sexism. Now as singer Cyndi Lauper heads off on her farewell tour aged 71, she just wants to have fun

TRUE TO HIS ROOTS
Rap icon Kendrick Lamar's recent Grammy haul has cemented his status as the king of hip-hop

RYAN'S ON A ROLLI
Ryan Rickelton has taken the cricket scene by storm, announcing himself as a force to be reckoned with

PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME!
He lost his left leg as a baby, but these days Nicklaas is a star on the athletics field and he's got big dreams

KEKE'S KICKING IT!
From child star to Hollywood powerhouse - Keke Palmer shines as an actress, podcast host and film producer

NEXT CHAPTER LOADING
Werner Wessels, the creative force behind many Miss SA winners, is stepping away from pageants to embrace new opportunities

BABY SHAME GAME
Lily Collins got a lot more than she bargained for when she announced she'd become a mom via a surrogate

BRIDGET'S BACK!
Renée Zellweger returns for the fourth and possibly final outing of Helen Fielding's ditsy cult heroine, a role she has relished from day one

I CAN BREATHE AGAIN'
After months of legal hell, two aneurysms and brain surgery, Alison Botha is relieved that her attackers are back behind bars and she can focus on getting better

SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS
With Elon Musk whispering in his ear the US president has unleashed his wrath on South Africa. But how worried should we be?