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10 months ago
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Siyabonga Sanderson who is accused of killing his grandfather and buried him in a shallow grave at their home.
- A 22-year-old man allegedly killed his grandfather after being reprimanded for bringing his girlfriend into their home.
- The man made his first appearance in court on Friday and said he would not need a lawyer and would also not be applying for bail.
- His case has been postponed to January 2024 for further investigations.
The family of a 22-year-old man who is accused of killing his grandfather said they never expected their own flesh and blood could be the cause of their grief.
On Friday, Siyabonga Sanderson appeared in the Kabokweni Magistrate's Court, outside Mbombela in Mpumalanga, on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
He was arrested in connection with the murder of his grandfather, Albert, 75, whose body was exhumed at their home by police on Thursday.
Siyabonga's uncle, Aubrey, told News24 that the family was still shocked by the allegations that his nephew faced.
"If a stranger did this, maybe it would make sense. We don't understand how our child did [allegedly] this. We are in deep pain," he said.
Aubrey said as a family, they left Siyabonga to live with his grandfather so he could take care of him.
Aubrey said:
We expected him to protect his grandfather, but unfortunately, he [allegedly] did the opposite. Crime is high, and we thought having a young man like him in the yard would scare off criminals, not knowing that the criminal will [allegedly] come from inside the house.
According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, it is alleged that the two had a fistfight, where Siyabonga hit his grandfather and pushed him towards the door.
Mohlala said it was alleged the grandfather had reprimanded his grandson for bringing his girlfriend into the home.
He said Aubrey became suspicious when he tried in vain to call his father on Wednesday.
Mohlala said a fellow shepherd had raised the alarm when he saw the old man's cattle roaming around, with the owner nowhere to be seen.
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When Uncle Aubrey went to his home to establish if there were any issues with his father, he discovered that there appeared to be what looked like a heaped grave in the backyard.
"When he asked his nephew, he said they were digging cassava plants. The uncle suggested they go and check; that's when the nephew suggested they go to the police, and he would tell them where the grandfather was.
Police exhume the body of Albert Sanderson, 75, from a shallow grave. He was killed, allegedly by his 22-year-old grandson.
"They then went to the station where he brought up the ordeal. He took the police to the scene and did a pointing out," Mohlala said.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, said during Sanderson's brief appearance, he told the court that he would conduct his own defence and not bring any bail application.
Nyuswa said that should Sanderson bring a bail application, the state would oppose it due to the seriousness of the offence.
Sanderson remains in custody, and his case was postponed to 30 January 2024 for further investigation.
