KUTLWANO OLIFANT
A SOWETO family want answers after the gruesome murder of their son, who was shot and killed in the veld at the Holomisa informal settlement in Klipspruit.
Malefane Leanya, 31, was found on Saturday with his hands tied behind his back, a hat placed in his mouth, and tied up with his shoelaces.
According to neighbour Ishmael Shale, an unknown man who was searching for his missing pig found Leanya’s body.
He started screaming, and some men went to investigate and found that it was the body of a neighbour they knew.
“The three men from Nomzamo, Orlando East, where Leanya lived, arrived at Leanya’s mother’s home (at nearby Holomisa), requesting that we leave with them to identity his body,” said Shale.
“Both residents and police officers were at the scene when we arrived.
“He was lying on the ground with blood on his face. His shoes were missing,” said Shale, adding that Leanya was shot below the right ear.
He described him as a humble soul and a disciplined young man.
“He was down to earth and never drank alcohol or smoked cigarettes.”
At home, condolences continued to pour in from neighbours, who were devastated by Leanya’s death.
His young sister, Nkamoheng, was the last person in the family to have spoken to him on Friday afternoon.
“I called him twice, asking the whereabouts of our younger sibling. He sounded okay,” she said.
On Saturday, she passed the area where her brother’s body was later found while on her way to Maponya Mall. She did not see a group of people gathered around her brother’s body.
It was only later that day that a neighbour called her to go to her mother’s house as she wasn’t feeling well.
“When I got home I was shocked to learn about my brother’s death. It is sad for the family. We lost him in a dreadful manner,” said Nkamoheng.
Leanya’s mother, Matumelo, sat quietly on the mattress in her shack with relatives when The Star visited. Leanya was Matumelo’s first of six children.
“My son is gone. It has happened and no one will ever bring him back.
“It is not easy to accept, but one day I will find strength to accept his death,” said the distraught mother.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Bongani Mhlongo said an inquest docket had been opened. “Investigations regarding the case are on,” he said.
Leanya will be buried at Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.