Relatives are devastated by the brutal killing of a couple who were murdered with garden tools and left to decompose for at least a week.
|||Durban - Two Durban families have been devastated by the brutal killing of a couple who were murdered with garden tools and left to decompose for at least a week at their home in Volksrust, Mpumalanga.
The faces of Dhalip Mohabir, 48, and Emmy Brussow, 37, were so battered and bruised, they were unrecognisable to family.
Police found a pair of panties near Brussow’s body at the bloody crime scene.
A post-mortem will be conducted to find out whether she was raped.
Mohabir had to be identified by a birthmark between his stomach and thigh.
The couple’s three budgies - one of which could talk - were all killed and found in the house. The couple’s parrots are missing - believed to have been stolen by the killers.
The couple, who had known each other for more than a decade, were carried out in body bags on Friday after a neighbour took note of a smell from their property. They had not been seen for a week.
Mohabir’s mother, Shala Devi Moodley, who lives in Hillary, was distraught.
“We have heard from a neighbour that they had been eating and drinking with some friends on the Friday (June 28) they were last seen alive on.
“Emmy had gone to sleep at her friend’s place and returned in the morning and that was the last time she was ever seen alive,” said Moodley.
“What I suspect is that Emmy must have known these guys because it looks like she was killed to be stopped from talking,” she said.
Two cellphones were stolen, but flat-screen TVs and other electrical appliances were not taken.
Moodley, who had last seen her son about a year and a half ago, said the family were taking the news of the murder badly.
“On Friday (the day he was believed to have been killed) he spoke to his eldest son and two of his siblings.
“He called me and said, ‘Mommy I love you.’ He spoke so nicely to me, that was just his character; he was open, kind and loving,” she said.
Volksrust police spokesman Sergeant Sonnyboy Mathebula said police had opened a murder docket and investigations were continuing.
“We would like to express shock about what has transpired in our community. This is not common in the area, but our immediate suspicions are that these are people who know the deceased very well,” he said.
Mathebula said the murderers gained entry through the front door.
The bodies were found in separate rooms.
Brussow’s brother, George Brussow, who had been to Volksrust at the weekend to identify the body, said many questions remained unanswered.
“It’s very difficult at this stage. People don’t want to talk; they are afraid,” he said.
The siblings had not been together “for some time”, but George said they contacted each other frequently on social networks.
“It’s not very pleasant right now. This was my baby sister, and to see her like that, with her body lying in a house for a week, and police suspect she was raped… it’s not pleasant,” he said.
Brussow will be cremated in Newcastle and a memorial service will be held this week. Brussow’s ashes would be shared with the Moodleys, George said.
Mohabir will also be cremated in Newcastle. He leaves behind two sons, Rajesh and Radesh, 24 and 20 respectively.
sihle.mlambo@inl.co.za
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