GEORGE NEWS - Not only is the mourning family of the young Hlompho Mohapi (25) still struggling to come to grips with her untimely death, but they now have to deal with an apparent fraudster who seems to be leeching on their grief.
Two days after Mohapi was brutally murdered on Thursday 5 July, a suspect was arrested in Knysna in possession of her cellphone. He appeared in the George Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 10 July where the case was postponed until Monday 16 July.
After his court appearance, the George Herald spoke to friends and family members outside court. One of these was a man who introduced himself as Mzwandile Ntaka. He told journalist Zolani Sinxo he is Mohapi's uncle and commented as a family spokesperson. Ntaka told Sinxo the family was so traumatised that they could barely eat or sleep. He even cried.
Before court proceedings on Monday morning the same man introduced himself to journalist Kristy Kolberg as Mohapi's father. He told the newspaper that the family was still in deep mourning and that they are struggling to pay for the funeral. He supplied the newspaper with his cellphone number and banking details (which were not published) and asked that monetary donations be paid into his account.
After the George Herald posted this on their Facebook page, readers alerted the paper that Ntaka is not Mohapi's father. In fact, he is not related to her at all.
One of the comments read: "Plz do not donate anything to Mzwandile Ntaka. He is trying to make a quick buck. We have already donated R***** to her family for the funeral. He is not even family!"
When asked why he did not attend court proceedings, Ntaka said that he was scared he would do something irresponsible like attack the suspect in court.
According to Mohapi's mother, Patricia Koloi, Ntaka is in no way related to Mohapi or her family. "He was a friend of Hlompho's aunt, not family and he cannot talk on our behalf. We want to warn people against him. He will do this again to another grieving family," she said.
During an interview with Koloi, her brother and her husband, it became clear that the family is deeply upset by Ntaka's behaviour.
"We find it hard to believe that someone could do something like this to a family in mourning. He is raising funds to benefit only himself and spreading wrong information about our family," Koloi's brother said.
When the George Herald contacted Ntaka for comment he said that there is infighting in the family and all the money he received would go towards the funeral. "We need to sort out the family fight first," he said. When questioned about his contradicting claims of being both the uncle and the father when talking to different George Herald journalists, Ntaka avoided giving a clear answer and put the phone down.
Read a related article: Was Hlompho's murder premeditated?
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