THE body of Lindelani Sithole Thabethe was found buried inside the yard of his friend, who had asked him to come to Nelspruit in Mpumalanga as he had secured a job for him there. Thabethe is a teacher by profession and a graduate from the University of KwaZulu Natal. His death remains a mystery because Thabethe who hails from Mhlekazi in Mkuze, in the far north of KwaZulu Natal, travelled to Mpumalanga on the 22nd of September to start  his new job at Mntungwa Secondary School. Zimoja is in possession of an alleged School Governing Body (SGB) letter informing Thabethe that he got the job at the school but it turns out the letter was never from the SGB and the school had no knowledge about Thabethe's CV or employment.

HE SAID HE SHOULD R1500 FOR THE JOB

Thabethe and his friend had been close since high school and went together to the same university together. They both graduated last year from UKZN.                       "His friend called him and told him that he must come to Mpumalanga. He promised Lindelani that the job was a done deal. The friend sent Lindelani an appointment letter to confirm he had been hired," said his sister Charity Sithole. She further said that the friend had told Lindelani to bring R1500 to pay an official at Mntungwa Secondary, where he was supposed to start his new job. "When days went by, the family became worried and contacted the school principal who said he did not know Thabethe or anything about his employment in the school. That is when the family informed the police as the friend was also not reachable on his phone. We are still shocked. His friend is a monster, he lured him all the way from KZN to murder him," she said.

AXE FULL OF BLOOD

Sithole said when they went to report the matter to the police, they informed them that they had received a tip off from an unknown caller who said the cops must go and look at the friend's yard as the body is buried there. "The friend is still nowhere to be found. The cops went to his place and found no one there, they had to kick the door open and that is when they discovered a pool of blood and the axe full of bl?od. They then noticed a that there was a shallow grave that was dug next to the house.  When they dug it up, Lindani's body was found inside it and he had a big scar in his forehead and  no clothes on," she said.

BURNT CERTIFICATES AND CLOTHES

Sithole told Zimoja that all his brother's certificates had been burnt along with his clothes. Thabethe's girlfriend Nokuthula Nyawo is still shocked at the manner her boyfriend was murdered. "I'm still shocked and It is very hard to stomach this. He left me with his laptop as he said he was coming back. I never thought that it was my last day seeing him," said Nyawo sobbing. Police are still on the hunt for the friend.