Get to know Umhlanga call centre manager Mfanafuthi Kunene k!lled Ayabonga Mjilo and buried her Body

Get to know Umhlanga call centre manager Mfanafuthi Kunene k!lled Ayabonga Mjilo and buried her Body.

A KwaZulu-Natal man charged with the Christmas Day kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Ayabonga Mjilo appeared in a packed Durban magistrate’s court on Monday.

Mfanafuthi Kunene, 37, manager of a call centre where Mjilo worked, abandoned his bail application as her family members and government officials observed court proceedings.

Kunene and Mjilo were last seen at a popular franchise restaurant in Umhlanga in the early hours of Christmas Day.

A case of kidnapping was opened after she did not return home.

“Thorough police investigations uncovered the identity of the man who was seen leaving the establishment with the missing woman. During the investigations it was discovered the man, who was her manager at work, took her to his home in the Amaotana area in Inanda. The two reportedly had an altercation and the man allegedly strangled her to death and buried her body in his yard,” said police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda.

He was arrested on Saturday.

Prosecutor Desiree Boyang Mlondo asked the court for an adjournment as postmortem results, DNA and witness statements were outstanding.

Sporting a limp and a bruise, Kunene, who was represented by a Legal Aid attorney, faces charges of kidnapping, murder and defeating the ends of justice.

Family spokesperson Mthetheleli Mjilo said they were heartbroken about Ayabonga’s death.

“The person who did this to my sister committed the deed because it favoured him. The damage he caused is huge.”

He blamed a loss of culture for the crime.

“The reason we find ourselves here is because of a lack of culture. Some people are not well brought up,” said Mjilo.

Mjilo’s sister Nontobeko, who battled to hold back tears, applauded the Greenwood Park police officers for finding Ayabonga’s body.

“They [police] did everything to ensure the body was located. They were tireless and communicated with me throughout the process of the search for my sister’s remains,” she said.

KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli, who was in court, commended police for arresting the suspect, saying continued violence against women and children remained a devastating obstacle to societal progress.

The spike in the number of deaths as a result of gender-based violence (GBV) had prompted him to come to court.

“We want to be clear as to what the circumstances are which cause GBV. I have engaged the police in trying to understand the circumstances.”

Ntuli called on families to discuss GBV.

“Every leader of the family needs to sit down with the family so [GBV] comes to an end. It’s not right for the province and its tourists and the economy. It’s not right that we are seen as a province which is violent.”

He called on men in the province to stop abusing women and children.

“Society in the province should stand up. First, to be aware we have this problem in our society and second, they should say ‘not in our time’,” said Ntuli.

Mjilo’s funeral arrangements are yet to been finalised.

The matter was adjourned to February 26.

Also Read – KwaZulu-Natal Woman Missing Since Christmas Found Dead, Buried in Work Manager’s Backyard