NEWS & ANALYSIS

"Mum-in-law from hell! Gogo demands money - or murder!" - Daily Sun

The front page and lead story of SA's largest daily newspaper, August 13 2013

Daily Sun (August 13 2013) - THIS couple never guessed the horror they were in for when they bought the terrifying mum's house. They're paying off a R200 000 loan for a house they can't move into . . . NOW THE HUSBAND AND HIS TEEN SON ARE UNDER THREAT OF DEATH!

Signs of trouble were there from the start for Tebogo S'phambo (41), who works for the Department of Health, and wife Sesi (39). They met and fell in love 13 years ago. Tebogo told Daily Sun that ­Sesi's mum, Sarah Dube, seemed nice when he met her - until he said he wanted to marry Sesi. "I should have known something was wrong when she said she wanted R250 000 for lobola. No one pays so much for lobola!" he said.

When his family brought a smaller amount, Sarah threw it in their faces and told them to get out! The couple live with their 13-year-old son in a flat in Newtown, Joburg. They were glad when Sarah ­offered to sell them her house in Ngagane in Newcastle, KZN. She wanted to move out after her son allegedly killed someone in the area in 2009.

"She begged me to buy the house so she could move away from neighbours' terrible remarks," said Sesi. So they borrowed R200 000 and paid Sarah a deposit. And Sarah told Sesi she would leave when she found another place.

"Months later we were shocked to get a call from my mum's ­lawyers telling us to bring back the documents for the house." Then her mum made a proposal that turned her blood to ice . . .

"Last year in January, she asked me to come home," she said. "When I got there she asked me to kill my husband, the father of my child, so I could own the house and we could be all happy. When I refused she kicked me out. She sent me a message saying she regretted having me and should have aborted me. She ill-treated her husband, a wonderful father. She chained him to a pole outside and fed him only water and soft porridge. We took him with us and looked for another place for him as we feared she'd kill him."

Sesi said when she visited recently, her mum chased her around her garden with a spade, threatening to kill her. Now they claim the mum's threatening to kill their son. "My mother sent me a message saying she had dreamed I was dead, and my older brother kept saying I must apologise to my mother for the sake of my child," Sesi said. Tebogo said: "We have a house but are forced to rent as her mother refuses to let us move into our house.

"Every time we go there, she ­attacks us. When we visited her in April she fired at us with a self-made gun. We're still paying the loan we took out to buy the house from her. We've tried everything and spent over R121 000 on lawyers," said Tebogo. When Daily Sun called Sarah, she said: "Don't get involved in matters you know nothing about because you will find yourself in trouble!" Then she hung up the phone. Constable Mduduzi Zondo of Hillbrow Police Station said a case of intimidation had been opened against Sarah. We're investigating."

See the Daily Sun mobi site for more on this and other stories....

The Daily Sun is South Africa's largest daily newspaper with an average circulation of 330 000 and a readership of 5.7m (as per AMPS 2012ab). Its Facebook page can be accessed here. It can be followed on Twitter here. To find about advertising on the Daily Sun click here.

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