News / Africa
Missing granny’s skull found
04 Jun 2016 at 06:03hrs | Views
The scant remains of a 91-year-old grandmother who went missing from Mmathethe village almost three years ago were finally laid to rest last weekend.
On a day bursting with emotion, the people of Kanye turned up in their numbers to pay their last respects and say goodbye to Sehadinyana Malaolo, who vanished without a trace in early 2014.
Sehadinyana was a well-loved, integral part of the community, her sudden disappearance leaving a huge void and causing much confusion in the village.
The matriarch's whereabouts have remained a mystery ever since she disappeared; that is until this week when a skull, wrapped in a red plastic bag and now confirmed to be hers, was discovered in Masaatane settlement – 15 kilometers from where Sehadinyana was last seen alive.
Speaking to The Voice, 55-year-old son-in-law, Five Gaemengwe explained that the old lady's family members were summoned by Goodhope police last week to assist in identifying a skull unearthed in nearby Masaatane.
"We were called for the skull only. DNA tests were carried out on the deceased's children and medical tests proved beyond doubt it's our mother's skull," said Gaemengwe with a mixture of relief and sadness, adding that the family decided to host a proper burial service for the skull alone so as to pay their last respects to the old woman.
The cranium's discovery, the only remains of Sehadinyana's that have currently been found, will at least bring some sort of closure and peace of mind to the old woman's family and friends.
However they are still no wiser as to what actually happened to the old lady and speculation amongst angry villagers is rife that she was murdered for muti purposes.
When Sehadinyana first went missing, her family sought the help of a number of prophets to try and locate her. Some of the pastors consulted told the family that their mother had been tied up somewhere around the village by a group of people intent on harvesting her body parts.
To add to the mystery, Gaemengwe revealed that the skull was found next to the clothes that Sehadinyana wore when she disappeared – clothes that were, remarkably, still in perfectly good condition.
The fact that no other bones were uncovered suggests a dark incentive was indeed behind the death.
The deceased's eldest son, 59-year-old Desmond Malaolo noted that whilst he will finally have closure now that he knows his mother is definitely dead, unanswered questions remain.
"I only saw a skull tied in a red plastic, other bones were not found – even the shoes she was wearing were not at the scene. The whole issue disturbs me, I am wondering who took my mother's bones," said a devastated Malaolo, adding he remains hopeful that his mothers missing bones will eventually turn up.
Meanwhile, Station Commander for Goodhope police, Mogomotsi Kwapa confirmed they had searched thoroughly for Sehadinyana's missing bones but, apart from her skull, never discovered any.
On a day bursting with emotion, the people of Kanye turned up in their numbers to pay their last respects and say goodbye to Sehadinyana Malaolo, who vanished without a trace in early 2014.
Sehadinyana was a well-loved, integral part of the community, her sudden disappearance leaving a huge void and causing much confusion in the village.
The matriarch's whereabouts have remained a mystery ever since she disappeared; that is until this week when a skull, wrapped in a red plastic bag and now confirmed to be hers, was discovered in Masaatane settlement – 15 kilometers from where Sehadinyana was last seen alive.
Speaking to The Voice, 55-year-old son-in-law, Five Gaemengwe explained that the old lady's family members were summoned by Goodhope police last week to assist in identifying a skull unearthed in nearby Masaatane.
"We were called for the skull only. DNA tests were carried out on the deceased's children and medical tests proved beyond doubt it's our mother's skull," said Gaemengwe with a mixture of relief and sadness, adding that the family decided to host a proper burial service for the skull alone so as to pay their last respects to the old woman.
The cranium's discovery, the only remains of Sehadinyana's that have currently been found, will at least bring some sort of closure and peace of mind to the old woman's family and friends.
When Sehadinyana first went missing, her family sought the help of a number of prophets to try and locate her. Some of the pastors consulted told the family that their mother had been tied up somewhere around the village by a group of people intent on harvesting her body parts.
To add to the mystery, Gaemengwe revealed that the skull was found next to the clothes that Sehadinyana wore when she disappeared – clothes that were, remarkably, still in perfectly good condition.
The fact that no other bones were uncovered suggests a dark incentive was indeed behind the death.
The deceased's eldest son, 59-year-old Desmond Malaolo noted that whilst he will finally have closure now that he knows his mother is definitely dead, unanswered questions remain.
"I only saw a skull tied in a red plastic, other bones were not found – even the shoes she was wearing were not at the scene. The whole issue disturbs me, I am wondering who took my mother's bones," said a devastated Malaolo, adding he remains hopeful that his mothers missing bones will eventually turn up.
Meanwhile, Station Commander for Goodhope police, Mogomotsi Kwapa confirmed they had searched thoroughly for Sehadinyana's missing bones but, apart from her skull, never discovered any.
Source - The Voice
