Daily Sun (January 22 2015) - HER BODY was bleeding from being lashed and petrol had already been poured over her. All that remained was for someone in the angry crowd to strike the fatal match. But the flame never came . . .
AND THABITHA SURVIVED - TO TELL SUNREADERS SHE IS INNOCENT.
On Tuesday, Daily Sun published the story on the front page of Thabitha, who was brutally beaten after a sangoma had allegedly pointed her out as the murderer of a child who died on Christmas Day. The child had eaten pap some days earlier.
"I prayed like never before and asked God to keep me alive for the sake of my four children, and also to tell the world I never killed the child," said Thabitha Mabogoane (38) from Lindelani, Benoni.
Thabitha, who has fled from Lindelani with her four children, is in hiding, but she has come forward to tell the people what happened to her.
Thabitha said she was approached by the family of the dead child last Friday.
"They asked me if I knew the child was dead. I told them I had heard and I was going to come to tell them how sorry I was," she said.
"A member of the family said I was lying. He said they knew I had killed their child. They called other neighbours and they attacked me."
She said she was forced to confess.
"One of the man told me if I admitted that I had killed the child they wouldn't burn me," she said.
But then all hell broke loose.
She was beaten up with fists, sjamboks, bricks and even pick handles before her attackers poured petrol over her.
"I thought of my children and said that I had killed the child. I think they would have killed me if I hadn't confessed," she said.
Thabitha said she didn't know Akhona, the two-year-old who died.
"I had no reason to kill her."
"What I know is that the father of the child and his three friends assaulted another neighbour two weeks before Christmas and this neighbour vowed to bring death to the family.
She said the neighbour had said this publically and her daughter (12) had heard him.
"As the news of Akhona's death spread, my daughter repeated what the man had said. I think the people became confused."
Thabitha is still going to open a case against her attackers.
Warrant Officer Ramothakhi Maqabe confirmed that three men were arrested for attacking her and are facing charges of assault with intention to do grievous bodily harm.
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