21m ago

Grieving mom haunted by teen daughter's decision to live with boyfriend who allegedly killed her

accreditation
Ntwaagae Seleka
Share
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
The shallow grave where Tshiamo Zwane,18, was buried.
The shallow grave where Tshiamo Zwane,18, was buried.
PHOTO: Ntwaagae Seleka, News24
  • A heartbroken mother is haunted by her dead daughter's decision to live with her boyfriend.
  • Her daughter was allegedly stabbed before being buried in a shallow grave.
  • The teen's boyfriend has been arrested, along with his friend, for the murder.

A distraught mother says she warned her teen daughter to stop dating the man who is accused of killing her.  

Eighteen-year-old Tshiamo Zwane's semi-naked body was found on 6 September, wrapped in a blanket and buried in a shallow grave on the banks of the Toloane River in Klipgat, Pretoria.

The teen's 30-year-old boyfriend and a 39-year-old man have been arrested for her murder.

The shallow grave is about 300m from her boyfriend's home.

How safe is your neighbourhood? Find out by using News24's CrimeCheck

Speaking to News24 inside her home in Klipgat, the teenager's mother, Mita Zwane, said her daughter was only 14 when she started having a relationship with the suspect.

"I was against that relationship. My daughter often told me that she loved him. How can a 14-year-old fall in love? What did she know about love?" Mita asked.

"She decided to leave school in Grade 7 because she wanted to stay with her boyfriend. I tried convincing her to go back to school but she refused."

Tshiamo Zwane
Tshiamo Zwane,18.
Supplied Supplied

The grieving mother said the couple decided to live together against her will.

She said:

How can a teenager cohabit with an adult? Her decision is haunting me.

The stay-in domestic worker said she fetched Tshiamo from her boyfriend's home, but she returned to his place.

"I was angry when I learnt that she had returned to him."

Mita said she then summoned the suspect to her home to tell him break off the relationship:

I warned him that he was old and wasting my daughter's time … but she chose to be an unmarried 'wife'.

Mita claimed Tshiamo was in an abusive relationship and the couple's neighbours were aware of it too because they phoned her when her daughter was allegedly assaulted.

"I involved the police, who referred me to social workers. Tshiamo refused to cooperate. I remember in 2020 when we went to fetch her with the police for her statement, she was rude towards them and fled with her lover."

Police spokesperson, Captain Aafje Botma, said the two suspects were expected to appear in court soon.


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed. 
Subscribe to News24