Thembisa murder: Estranged husband found dead hours later

Boitumelo Gift Mashita’s family suspected someone close to her had killed her. By Monday evening, police had linked her estranged husband to the murder — and found him dead inside his vehicle in Midrand.

Mashita, 23, was shot while on her way to work in Mapungubwe Street, Temong, at about 05:45 on 28 September. She worked as a chef in Centurion and leaves behind a five-year-old son.

Family feared someone close to Mashita was involved

A man linked to the murder of 23-year-old Boitumelo Gift Mashita in Tembisa this morning has been found dead in his vehicle in Midrand. Police say he was her estranged husband and a person of interest.

Photo: Top left of the picture – the red Kia in Midrand where he was found.… pic.twitter.com/1Os2CYfbTY

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Before the police update, Mashita’s sister, Yeolanda Sithole,said that the person the family suspected had allegedly threatened to kill her. Her uncle, Motlatsi Khoza, said the family believed someone close to Mashita was responsible.

In an interview, the family remembered Mashita as someone who brought life to their gatherings. They said her phone was missing after the shooting and that she kept her identity document behind it.

Her aunt, Jeanette Khoza, struggled with the thought of telling Mashita’s young son that his mother had died. “I don’t know what we are going to tell the boy,” she told said.

Estranged husband found dead in Midrand

Police initially opened a murder and robbery case after reporting that Mashita’s belongings had been taken. Investigators later linked her estranged husband to the killing and identified him as a person of interest.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the SAPS Tembisa Tracking Team was tracing him when Midrand police found his vehicle with his body inside.

Muridili said he may have ingested an unknown substance.

“No foul play is suspected at this stage,” she said. “A post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.”

Midrand police will open an inquest. Police have not explained how Mashita’s missing phone and the reported theft of her belongings fit into the murder investigation.

Muridili said preliminary investigations had found no link between Mashita’s killing and the recent cases involving women’s bodies found across Ekurhuleni.