Grief hangs heavy in Mamelodi West where a family is battling to come to terms with the brutal killing of 14-year-old twins Bonolo and Bothlale Makena, who were found stabbed to death inside their own bedroom.
The brothers were discovered on Friday, 2 October, after their mother returned home from work to a scene that has left the community reeling. Police said the twins had suffered multiple stab wounds.
What should have been an ordinary afternoon for two Grade 8 learners who loved church and PlayStation has turned into a double funeral that no parent should ever have to plan.
The family is shattered.
Aunt Josephine Makena, who has been holding the family together since the news broke on Sunday, could not hold back her tears.
“I am heartbroken for their mother. These children did not deserve this,” she said, her voice breaking.
She said the deaths have left her deeply traumatised, especially for the twins’ mother who walked into her home and found her sons’ lives brutally cut short.
The family home, where the twins should have been doing homework and playing, is now a crime scene. Relatives say there were no obvious signs of forced entry, raising chilling questions about whether the killer knew the boys or was allowed inside.
The twins’ phones and their PlayStation 4 were taken, but for the family, this is not a case of robbery. It is a case of two innocent lives stolen.
“These are very soft children, they are not into any criminality, they don’t mix with the other crowd,” said Bishop Mashilo Mangena of the Ethiopian Catholic Church, who baptised the twins.
The bishop remembered them as gentle, God-fearing children who never missed church.
“They should have had years ahead of them to learn, play and grow,” he said.
As the family weeps, questions are mounting. Who would want to kill two 14-year-olds in such a brutal manner? Why inside their bedroom, the one place they should have been safest?
Police say a person of interest was being interviewed, but by Monday no arrest had been confirmed. Investigations are continuing.
The brutal nature of the killings has sparked outrage in Mamelodi, with community organisations and political representatives rallying behind the family.
The EFF is among those who have visited the home to offer support, while Not In My Name International (NIMNI) said it would visit the family on Monday morning to offer condolences, groceries and practical support.
“The loss of these two young lives has left a profound wound in their family and community,” NIMNI said in a statement.
The organisation said its intervention goes beyond sympathy.
“This contribution is a gesture of solidarity, offered with the understanding that while we cannot ease the full weight of their pain, we can help shoulder some of their immediate needs,” it said.
NIMNI has taken a hard line on the murders, calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty and deployment of the army in Mamelodi – a position that is its own and not government policy. But on the ground, its message to the family has been one of solidarity and a demand for justice.
“We owe it to these boys, and to every child, to turn our sorrow into a lasting commitment to their protection,” the movement said.
NIMNI secretary-general Themba Masango said the community is angry but hopeful.
“The community is angry, but we are hopeful that the police will do their job,” Masango said.
For now, the focus in the small Mamelodi home is not politics or policing. It is a mother who cannot stop crying, relatives who cannot understand, and two empty beds that will never be slept in again.
Government has appealed for help, with Deputy Government Spokesperson William Baloyi urging anyone who “saw, heard or noticed anything unusual” before, during or after the incident to come forward to SAPS.
As the investigation drags on, the Makena family is left with only tears, unanswered questions and the painful task of burying two boys whose lives were supposed to have just begun.
NIMNI has pleaded with the public to respect the family’s privacy and dignity as they mourn.
But for Josephine Makena, privacy cannot hide the pain.
“These children did not deserve this,” she wept.
