Daily Sun (May 21 2013) - THE inheritance should have been a blessing . . . But it turned into a curse! NOW ALL THREE GUMEDE BROTHERS ARE DEAD - MURDERED. They never got on well with each other. But when their parents died five years ago it was the beginning of the end. The parents, from Etholeni in Umbumbulu, south of Durban, left the sons nine cows and some land.
Soon afterwards, the eldest, Khalesakhe Gumede (41), flew into a rage when brother Toni Gumede (27) took a few cows out of the inheritance to pay lobola. Khalesakhe killed Toni and was sentenced to five years. He served three years, and was freed on parole two years ago. He got angry again when he found brother Bonga Gumede (32) had been selling land. The family stopped their fight, but it didn't end there.
Close relative Kwenzokuhle Gumede (53) said the brothers were never close. "We thought they had made peace - until recently, when Khalesakhe also started selling land and cows without telling Bonga or giving him a cent. "On Monday, Khalesakhe came to report Bonga was missing. He said he last saw him when they returned from boozing at a shebeen.
"On Tuesday, we found Bonga's cap in the bush," said Kwenzokuhle. "We followed the path and found his partially decomposed body." He said Bonga had what looked like knobkerrie wounds on his head.
"His shoes were scattered. We could see he fought before he died," said Kwenzokuhle. "On Wednesday, Khalesakhe told me family members were accusing him of killing Bonga. "He said he had a feeling something bad would happen to him. I tried to comfort him and told him to go home."That night, I got a call to rush to Khalesakhe's house. I called cops and we went there, but found nothing," he said. Kwenzokuhle said Khalesakhe's body was found on Thursday, chopped up with a bush knife in the bush.
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