Onthatile’s Sebati, accused of ordering a hit on her parents and her two siblings, said the plan was hatched after she confided in her two co-accused that she was abused by her family.
This is according to a statement that Sebati made after it was commissioned by retired
Captain France Mishack Manota who also read it into the court records.
Sebati allegedly hired Tumelo and Kagiso Mokone to kill her parents and two siblings in Mmakau Brit in 2016.
“Before the incident of the shooting or the murder of my family members. I was having a problem of abuse received from my family where I was always assaulted and insulted.
“The only friend I was able to share my problems with was Kagiso Mokone and Tumelo Mokone and we decided (on) a plan to kill them all,” read the confession statement.
In the statement Sebati allegedly tried to poison her family but the plan “failed” and hatched another plan to shoot and kill them.
“First, we decided to use the sleeping tablets which I poured in food prepared on 05/12/2016. Then on the 06/12/2016 during the day before the murder of my family, I was communicating with Kagiso and Tumelo through WhatsApp that they must come and collect the firearm that belonged to my father.
“During the same day they came and took the firearm. Kagiso was the one who put the firearm on his waist when they left.
“At about 23:00, then Kagiso Mokone, Tumelo Mokone. I gave Tumelo the car key of the Chrysler to reverse. Kagiso and myself went inside the house to show him my father, he shot him.
“When my mother and sister (she was pregnant that time) came out to see what was happening Kagiso shot them dead. He also shot my little sister.”
In Tumelo Mokone’s confession statement, commissioned by Captain Paulos Dlamini and read for the record, he alleged that Sebati informed him about attempting to poison her parents.
“She said to me someone gave her sleeping pills (tablets) to pour them in the food with the intention to kill everyone eating them (the food).
“She did pour them in the food but her mother smelled a funny odour from the food. She instructed her to throw away the food then the mother cooked fresh food by herself for the entire family. She sent a WhatsApp message ‘plan failed’.”
Tumelo’s statement also showed that at some point, he told Sebati that she “must stop updating me about her evil plan because I don’t want to be part of her plans”.
But in the statement, Tumelo allegedly continued to give details on what transpired on the fateful night.
“As we arrived at the yard and about to enter the yard dogs started barking and drawing the attention of people around. We hid ourselves behind the pile of bricks which was outside the yard and Kagiso then sent a message to Onthatile to come out from the house and control the dogs.
“Onthatile came out of the house, controlled the dogs and opened the small gate for us to get in.
She handed over to me car keys and main gate keys. I remained at the gate trying to unlock it while Onthatile and Kagiso went to the house,” said Tumelo in the statement.
“While struggling to unlock the gate, I heard the first gunshot from the house. I panicked but was still struggling to unlock the gate. I then heard the second gunshot from the house and the third shot.
“I then ran towards the car, opened it and started the engine and faced the gate. Several shots were fired and Kagiso came back carrying a schoolbag. He was about to get into the car when Onthatile called him back to the house; another shot was fired from the house.
“Kagiso then came back and climbed into the car occupying the front passenger seat. Because I struggled to unlock the main gate I decided to bump it with the car and managed to drive away.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
