By Zukile Majova
Police have launched a manhunt for two men who attacked and killed iNkosi Nogcinile Mtirara at Mqhekezweni Great Place in Mthatha, Eastern Cape on Monday night.
During the attack, five Grade 12 learners from the local Jongintaba High School were raped.
Another woman was discovered dead on Wednesday morning in a different homestead also in Mqhekezweni village.
It is understood the attackers were looking for Mama Mtirara’s son, Philological, who played a pivotal role in fighting extortion gangs in the Region.
Mqhekezweni Great Place is the historic home of the AbaThembu nation, settled in the OR Tambo District. It was also home to regent King Jongintaba Mtirara, who raised and groomed young Nelson Mandela who grew up to become the first president of democratic South Africa.
The South African government has declared Mqhekezweni Great Place a National Heritage Site.
In his biography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela said: “Mqhekezweni was a mission station of the Methodist Church and far more up to date and Westernised than Qunu.”
In his later years, Madiba settled in his home village of Qunu, which became his final resting place.
This latest outbreak of crime follows a series of violent incidents, including extortion and murder, in the vicinity of Mthatha. Just over a week ago, five members of the same family were shot and killed at Bityi village, outside Mthatha.
Pictured above: Former President Nelson Mandela grew up in Mqhekezweni Great Place under the tutelage of Regent King Jongintaba Mtirara of the AbaThembu nation
Source: Mqhekezweni Great Place Facebook page
