Elizabeth Tsontso Moselakgomo, the Kempton Park runner whose body was found in September. Image credit supplied
The Tsontso smartwatch case has been postponed to 9 December for further investigation. Three men stand accused of handling and reselling the Garmin watch that belonged to slain Kempton Park runner Elizabeth Tsontso Moselakgomo.
Kenneth Chibuzor, Stephen Sekhukhune and Danial Moat appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Importantly, none of them faces a murder charge. Instead, they face charges of theft, possession of stolen property and money laundering.
Sekhukhune and Moat remain out on bail of R10 000 each. Their bail conditions require them to report to the Kempton Park police station twice a week. They also may not leave Gauteng without telling the investigating officer.
Chibuzor, however, remains in custody. The State is still trying to verify his immigration documents, including his passport. According to the defence, the documents were handed in at a police station, but the originals have not yet been found. The investigating officer will now follow up with police in Pretoria to trace them.
How the Tsontso smartwatch case unfolded
The State alleges that the watch changed hands several times within a day of Moselakgomo’s disappearance. Chibuzor runs a second hand goods shop in Kempton Park. Prosecutors claim he bought the Garmin Venu watch for R900 from an unknown person without keeping the required records.
He then allegedly sold the watch to Sekhukhune. According to the State, Sekhukhune registered the watch to his own account on the morning of 10 September. By then, someone had already erased Moselakgomo’s profile and settings.
Next, Sekhukhune allegedly sold the watch to Moat for R4 000. Moat then allegedly advertised it on Facebook Marketplace and sold it for the same price. All of these claims remain allegations, and the court has not yet tested them.
For readers who are new to the story, Moselakgomo was a 38 year old runner from Kempton Park. She left home for a run on 9 September and never returned. Three days later, searchers found her body in Rhodesfield, near OR Tambo International Airport.
Her death caused national outrage. She was one of several women found dead in Ekurhuleni and surrounding areas between July and September. As a result, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered police to treat the cases as a national priority. Police also set up a special team to investigate the killings.
Despite the arrests linked to the watch, her killer remains unknown. Police have not said how she died, and the murder investigation continues.
Commentary across social media platforms shows growing frustration. Many users have asked why the case has moved so slowly. Others, meanwhile, hope the watch trail will eventually lead police to the person responsible for her death.
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