Longer, painful wait for justice for Tshepang Pitse's family as matter delayed again

It was a painful Thursday afternoon for Tshepang Pitse's family as their agonising wait for justice met another delay with the postponement of the case against her killer Flavio Hlabangwane in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court.

Hlabangwane was found guilty of premeditated murder, defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse by the Johannesburg high court on January 31 2023.

The 28-year-old confessed to killing Pitse, who was his girlfriend and cousin, saying he plotted to do so after discovering she had been unfaithful to him. 

He was arrested in November 2021 after Pitse's body parts were found in his fridge. The discovery was made by his new girlfriend, who raised the alarm with neighbours and police.

The matter faced another delay at the Palm Ridge magistrate's court on Wednesday and was finally heard on Thursday afternoon after several matters before judge Cassim Moosa.

Hlabangwane, who had traded in his usual dreadlocks for short hair, was wearing a white hoodie with patched blue jeans and looked straight ahead during proceedings.

The court was packed with Pitse's family members, including her father and aunt Japhne Joao.

An emotional Joao told reporters the family was still seeking answers on where the rest of Pitse's body was. Her father said he wasn't ready to speak on the matter.

This was the same plea Joao made shortly after Hlabangwane's conviction in an interview with TimesLIVE Premium. 

Joao on Thursday said they didn't care as much for his sentence as the location of her remaining body parts. She had previously revealed that they had only received her skull, legs and arms. Her torso was reportedly never found.

“He acts like he's happy and having a good time. I'm still crying and in pain because I only buried five parts. Where is the rest of her body?

“Why doesn't he tell us where it is? He's breaking my heart ... he's whole and will be fine wherever he goes, but my child isn't [whole],” she said before insisting he has to give answers to their questions.

Joao added that his family was yet to reach out to them since the funeral, despite her family's openness to meet.

Earlier, the court was forced to postpone the matter after both the victim impact report and that compiled for the defence by a probation officer were handed in late.

Hlabangwane buried his face in his hands as the state and defence spelt out their reasons for requesting a delay.

Prosecutor Johan Badenhorst explained that while the state had indicated its readiness to receive both reports timeously, they had only received both an hour before the matter was to be heard.

“I was also informed that the officer who put together the victim impact report didn't ... for some or other reason bother coming to court today. He's allegedly still in Pretoria,” he said.

“We haven't had time to read the report, and it would not be in the interest of justice if we just rushed this matter, it's very serious. I must say, the reports are comprehensive.”

Hlabangwane's lawyer Tsakane Ndhlovu agreed, confirming they too only received the report an hour before.

“I would like an opportunity to go through the report ... for that reason, I will also need time to properly consult with the accused regarding the contents of the report so I will be in a better position to address this court,” she said.

Moosa agreed to the request and the reasons given, postponing the matter to May 3.

“The court must at the end of the day apply its mind to what is required of the court in terms of the constitution [regarding] the rights of the accused to a speedy trial,” he said, before reminding Hlabangwane that he faces a life term “unless there are substantial and compelling circumstances that would cause this court to deviate in the imposition of a prescribed minimum sentence”.

TimesLIVE