Staff Reporter
The man accused of kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend’s 20-month-old baby, Blessing Bokamoso Mpembe, following a fight between the former lovers was actually out on parole after being jailed for attacking the same woman on several occasions.
It has emerged that Chepete Petrus Mngomezulu, 32, was imprisoned at Lindley Correctional Centre in 2018 after being handed a three-year sentence for, amongst others, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Khorny Mpembe, the mother of the deceased child, after stabbing her 10 times.
Mngomezulu, who was found hanging last Thursday in a disused building at Vrede Farm on the outskirts of Petrus Steyn where he worked, was not the biological father of the child he allegedly sexually abused before killing.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sam Makhele would neither confirm nor deny the information in a brief written response to The Free Stater saying investigations were still underway and all findings will be presented in court.
“We don’t have answers to all these questions now . . . as (the) investigation is continuing,” Makhele said.
“Previous records of any accused can only be tabled (before) court as part of the prosecution case,” he added.
The police have since opened a murder docket for the child’s alleged killing and an inquest into Mngomezulu’s suicide.
A source close to the matter says Mngomezulu had several brushes with the law for the brutal attacks on Mpembe when they were still lovers.
“The woman opened about four cases of assault against him. The worst was when he stabbed her about 10 times with a sharp instrument, resulting in him being sent to jail,” said the source who preferred not to be named.
Mngomezulu was reportedly released from prison on December 31, 2019 and was still on parole when he allegedly killed the child and took his own life.
Mpembe has told the police that the ex-boyfriend arrived at her house in Mamafubedu township, Petrus Steyn, just before midnight on Sunday last week and demanded that she opens the door for him.
She said she went outside to talk to Mngomezulu but while they were talking he allegedly started assaulting her after she allegedly told him that she no longer wanted to be with him.
The woman then ran to seek help from neighbours but at that point Mngomezulu allegedly entered the house, snatched the baby and disappeared.
A manhunt for Mngomezulu led the police to the farm where they found him hanging from the roof of a rundown house.
The body of the child was found a few metres from the disused house in an open field.
She was found with injuries to the head and her clothes had blood stains, an indication she may have suffered a violent death.