The family of Tshepang Pitse who was allegedly killed and her body dismembered by her cousin says they didn't know the two were in a romantic relationship. Her boyfriend Flavio Hlabangwane (28) is standing trial at the Palmridge Magistrate court for her murder. He allegedly killed her, dismembered her body before putting the parts inside his deep freezer in Protea Glen, Soweto. He pleaded guilty to her murder on Tuesday.

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FAMILY DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE DATING

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Tshepang's paternal aunt, Daphney Joang told ZiMoja that they didn't know that her niece was dating her cousin. Tshepang was Daphney's brother's daughter. Daphney said since Tshepang and Flavio's mothers were sisters it was taboo for the two to be involved in a romantic relationship. "They were literally siblings because their mothers are also siblings, this is unheard of and Flavio's mother let it happen, it's a disgrace,' she said. "What kind of parents allow siblings to date. I believe Tshepang was forced  into a relationship with Flavio, she couldn't have done it out of her own free will, she was being abused and now she is dead,' Daphney added. 

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ACCUSED'S MOTHER OFFERED TO RAISE TSHEPANG

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According to Daphney, Flavio's mother took Tshepang and her sister after their mother died in 2014. She said that her brother did not approve of the arrangement and tried to fight for his children but didn't win. "My brother did not approve of this because he had gotten used to raising his children. There was a big fight over this but Flavio's mother insisted on raising her sister's children after their mother. Since then, their lives became a mess,' she said.

 She also told ZiMoja that her brother was never an absent father. He raised the kids as their mother was working in the UK as a nurse and when she was back, she would also work shifts, leaving their father to take care of them. Tshepang has one sister.

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 "We didn't understand why they were removed from his care. She said the deceased's sister is nowhere to be found and living on the streets and that's because she was not happy.  

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FAMILY WANTS MISSING BODY PARTS

Daphney said she is very angry and if it were up to her, she would take matters into her own hands. "All I wish is that he be released so I can personally deal with him. I am very angry because he is alive and gaining weight, while we will never see my niece,"she said. 

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She said what hurts the most is that they had to bury Tshepang with some parts of her body missing. "We want to know where he buried her torso because we only got her head, hands and legs, where is the rest?" Flavio told the court on Tuesday that after killing Tshepang, he cleaned her body, went to buy drugs and he used a butcher knife to cut the body into pieces. He alleges that he threw her torso in the river, buried her head and stuffed the rest of the body parts in his deep freezer. The body parts were discovered by his girlfriend who called the police.

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It is alleged that the new girlfriend had met the accused on social media and was visiting him for the first time for a sleepover when she made the gruesome discovery.

The trial will continues on Friday.

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