Katlego Bereng's mother pleads for justice
Katlego Bereng's body was planted in the cell as part of the rapist and murderer's elaborate escape.
The NPA dropped charges of murder against the accused in the Bester escape due to insufficient evidence.
But Bereng's mother is convinced those in the dock killed her son.
The state is alleging that Nandipha Magudumana claimed Bereng's body under false pretences, with the help of Zimbabwean Zanda Moyo.
A post-mortem report said Bereng died of unnatural causes.
His family hopes the trial will reveal how he died.
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Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Matabeleland: A cinematic reflection on love, loss, and the shadows of history
Seven years in the making, Nyasha Kadandara's Matabeleland tells the story of a man striving to exhume and rebury his father who was killed during the Gukurahundi Genocide in Zimbabwe. Other stories — along themes of masculinity, love and the troubles of immigration — emerge as the bigger story plays out. The protagonist of the story is Chris Nyathi, a Zimbabwean who makes his bread in Botswana by driving freight trucks. On camera, he flips out his cellphone and begins counting his children for the director. When asked for the total number, he struggles, he has never counted with the aim of getting to a total; the number tallies up to 17. That is not the whole story, though. Dumi, Nyathi's long-time girlfriend in Botswana, loves him, but would prefer to be his wife instead of being a mere 'girlfriend'. Nyathi says he cannot marry her now because his father was killed and buried improperly, and his affairs have never been in order — he first needs to successfully bury his father. Nyathi's father was beaten to death by the Fifth Brigade of the Zimbabwean army, a unit that reported directly to then prime minister Robert Mugabe. He was one of more than 20,000 people, many of them Ndebele-speaking natives of Matabeleland in southern Zimbabwe, systematically murdered by the brigade from 1983 until 1987 — in what is today called the Gukurahundi Genocide. Many were shot dead, but not Nyathi's father. Nyathi was 22 years old when he came home from work one day and was told that his father had been killed. He worked for the Matobo National Park, a reserve adjacent the family home. Shari Eppel, who makes an appearance in the film, says he was beaten to death while handcuffed. Eppel is director of Ukuthula Trust, an organisation that facilitates the exhumation for reburial of the remains of those who were killed during the genocide. Exhumed When Julius Mvulo Nyathi was exhumed in 2024, they discovered that the bones of his forearm — the radius and ulna — were broken at the same place on both hands, right where the handcuffs had been secured. And the autopsy report concluded that he was probably beaten with a metal object or rod while attempting to protect his head, until many bones on his body were broken, and until he could no longer resist. And until he was dead. Kadandara was both the director and the cinematographer of the film. She told Daily Maverick that she fell in love with the camera during her studies at Columbia Journalism School, where she was enrolled in the MS Documentary Specialization in 2014. There is a warmth in both the images of the characters and those of Matabeleland, the land. The characters seem absolutely relaxed in the glare of the camera, like they are oblivious of its presence. Kadandara said that both Nyathi and Dumi warmed to being filmed from the beginning. We also see a lot of mopane trees and close-up images of the worms that feast on their leaves. And there are images of the lizards whose home are the crevices of rocks on the Great Dyke Mountain Pass that cuts through Zimbabwe. 'It was very much me filming home; and also wanting to show in little ways the beautiful things that I love about where I come from,' she said. The filmmaker was born in Bulawayo in 1988, a year after the genocide officially ended — when, on 22 December 1987, Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union and Joshua Nkomo's Zapu signed what they called the Unity Accord and merged to form Zanu-PF, thus ending the killings. Kadandara — who was raised in Malindela, a suburb of Bulawayo — says she did not know that so many people had been systematically killed in Matabeleland in the years just before she was born. 'You know, I grew up not being taught about it at school, and not being told about it by adults,' Kadandara says. Atrocities It was way into adulthood that she learnt of the scale of the atrocities that had taken place right in her backyard. And so she went to her mother for answers. She told her about what she remembered. 'My mother told me that there was a curfew. She told me that people used to get stopped, intimidated and beaten by the police,' she said. She did not know that the genocide would be a big part of the documentary when she began. In an interview with Marmalade Collective, a Nigerian online magazine, she explained that she had initially wanted to make a seven-minute story focused on life a year after Robert Mugabe was deposed by a military coup in 2017. 'This shift happened after consulting with others, including my producer, who encouraged me to explore the story more deeply. What started as a short video within a larger multimedia piece turned into a feature documentary, which required much more time to tell the story properly,' she said. For this film, Kadandara worked with LBx Africa, a Kenyan production company. Sam Soko, the co-founder, took on the producer role for Matabeleland. 'We are creative partners and have worked with each other in different combinations. I was, for example, one of his cinematographers for his 2022 documentary Free Money, available on Netflix,' Kadandara said. They have even more projects on the way, including a film about the Zambian women's football team that participated in the 2023 World Cup. Kadandara has lived in Kenya for at least eight years now. When Kadandara began filming in 2018, she flew to Zimbabwe from Kenya. She would also routinely fly into Botswana to film with Nyathi and Dumi together and, sometimes, separately. 'I would usually go for about two weeks at a time and sort of see what I could capture,' she said. Covid-19 restrictions The film was shot over six years. Some of the scenes were filmed at the height of the Covid-19 period, with restrictions sometimes complicating travel between countries. For most of 2024, she worked with editor Jordan Inaan and producer Sam Soko to figure out what story to tell; a lover of music, Kadandara also compiled the playlist that composers Eduardo Aram and Gabriel Milliet used for the film score. Nyasha said the producer was a big part of crafting the story and wanted him credited. The result is a story that works at many levels. It is a love story, a story about a man struggling with the weight of his father's violent death at the hands of a powerful government; and the story of the estimated 20,000 people that who killed from 1983 until 1987. The film carries images of skeletons dug up from shallow graves distributed across the region — exhumed for reburial. Kadandara said she hoped the film inspired a reckoning with the past. She and some Zimbabwean partners had planned a series of screenings across Zimbabwe and she was especially excited for potential screenings in rural Matabeleland. When asked if she was worried about possible censorship, Kadandara said she was not because she wanted to be hopeful about Zimbabwe. 'And a lot of the things people love about the film is not necessarily the political. It is the human story, the intimacy, the relationship dynamic,' she said. DM
The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
Africa Watch: Did Mnangagwa help Lungu with a Zimbabwe diplomatic passport?
The sudden death of former Zambian president Edgar Lungu in South Africa last month has taken a twist, with claims emerging that he was in the country using a Zimbabwean diplomatic passport. Following Lungu's death and delayed burial, claims are that he may have been travelling under a diplomatic passport, possibly with the help of his long-time ally, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa. RELATED | Power: The truth behind Africa's longest-serving presidents Given the long-standing relationship between Lungu and Mnangagwa, some observers have begun asking the uncomfortable question: Did Zimbabwe's leader help his ally by granting him special travel privileges? Zanu PF has denied the claims in the strongest terms. Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana posted on X: 'We wish to categorically state that the late former Zambian President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu did not hold a Zimbabwean passport or nationality. Any such suggestions are just mischievous falsehoods.' Journalists Hopewell Chin'ono and Maynard Manyowa have both highlighted concerns around the alleged misuse of diplomatic passports in Zimbabwe. Manyowa claims that South African officials are raising concerns about the high number of red passport holders they encounter. Chin'ono says authorities are handing these documents to girlfriends, wives of political elites, and even radio presenters. Zimbabwean officials have long used diplomatic passports. The Gold Mafia documentary by Al Jazeera revealed how religious figure Uebert Angel allegedly used it. He allegedly used his diplomatic status to smuggle gold out of the country. Taking advantage of the immunity that comes with such passports. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Zimbabwean man arrested while driving stolen R2. 5 million Nissan Patrol towards Beitbridge
A 51-year-old Zimbabwean national will on Friday appear in a Limpopo after he was arrested while driving a stolen V8 Nissan Patrol 5.6 worth R2.5 million towards the Beitbridge port of entry. Image: SAPS Police in Limpopo have intercepted and recovered a high-performance luxury sport utility vehicle, valued at over R2.5 million, during a targeted anti-smuggling operation. The anti-crime blitz was conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo in collaboration with private security partners along the N1 highway near Polokwane on Wednesday. 'Acting on intelligence regarding a stolen vehicle travelling from Gauteng towards the Beitbridge border, the operational team consisting of Limpopo SAPS, ShadowSecure Security, Tshimollo Security and Investigations, and Tracker Connect kept strategic observation along the N1 route,' said Limpopo police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba. The vehicle matching the description, a white Nissan Patrol V8 5.6, was identified and intercepted near Shell Ultra City within the Westernburg policing area. Mashaba said further investigations confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen in Brooklyn, Pretoria. 'A 51-year-old Zimbabwean national, who was driving the vehicle, was arrested on the spot and charged with possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Zimbabwean man is scheduled to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Friday. Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has commended the swift recovery of the luxurious vehicle, and hailed the collaboration that made it possible. A 51-year-old Zimbabwean national will on Friday appear in a Limpopo after he was arrested while driving a stolen V8 Nissan Patrol 5.6 worth R2.5 million towards the Beitbridge port of entry. Image: SAPS In May, IOL reported that a 31-year-old man, Mikael Mlambo, appeared before the Polokwane Magistrate's Court in Limpopo after he was arrested when police intercepted a stolen Toyota Corolla Cross sport utility vehicle which was being driven towards the Beitbridge port of entry. At the time, Mashaba said the matter was postponed to allow for the profiling of the arrested man. He said police had established that Mlambo is a South African national. Earlier, IOL reported that the grey SUV that was driven by Mlambo in Limpopo was reported stolen in May, around Pretoria central. 'On Friday, 16 May 2025, members of provincial Flying Squad were busy conducting routine patrol duties when they received intelligence information about a grey Toyota Corolla Cross SUV vehicle that was reported stolen this month,' said Mashaba. 'The vehicle was allegedly travelling at high speed along the N1 South public road and was destined to be smuggled to Zimbabwe.' Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. The police immediately commenced an intensive search for the stolen vehicle until it was positively spotted driving outside Polokwane. Police officers attempted to stop the speeding vehicle, but the driver refused to yield. 'A car chase ensued until the vehicle was intercepted at Nirvana robots. It was searched and police suddenly discovered a damaged tracking device removed from the vehicle,' said Mashaba. Police said Mlambo could not produce authentic documentation proving ownership, and he was immediately placed under arrest. He was charged for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle. IOL News
