At the Leseding family hostel in Westonaria last week, the man accused of viciously stabbing his colleague allegedly said, "I killed him."Boinehelo Lefafe contacted a union representative to confess to the crime, according to witnesses from the Sibanye-Stillwater mine. Lefafe was charged with murder on Monday in the Westonaria magistrate's court for stabbing Alphino Macovo to death.
Colleagues revealed that Lefafe searched for Macovo and eventually located him at a nearby spaza shop. He then viciously attacked Macovo, stabbing him multiple times in the abdomen.
A colleague who overheard the conversation told a news outlet, "[He told the rep] that he was actually after HR [human resources] manager and that the manager was lucky not to have been home at the time."
Lefafe allegedly waited for the police to arrive at the scene with the victim's body after the assault. Unsettlingly, he snapped selfies with Macovo's body during this period, exposing his exposed intestines.
Concerns regarding Lefafe's mental health have been raised by the photos that went viral on social media over the weekend.Lefafe seemed calm during the court appearance, even though the situation was serious.
Lefafe and Macovo are said to have had a history of disagreement, which dates back to a June incident in which there was a physical altercation.
It is said that Lefafe unintentionally sprayed Macovo with water, which sparked backlash and a fight that left Lefafe with an eye injury and required hospitalisation for a month. After taking sick leave, both of them were allegedly put on suspension.
He questioned the necessity of his suspension given that he had actually been assaulted. After that, a written warning was issued and the punishment was reduced for both of them. According to a source, "He was still upset because he insisted he did nothing wrong."
"Four weeks ago, he went to open an assault case with the police, but no arrest was made."
The employee claimed that this infuriated Lefafe even more, and in the days preceding the stabbing, he went in search of Macovo at the hostel.
Since they were unarmed, the security staff did not intervene in the horrific attached and instead observed in disbelief.
Lefafe said he needed seven days to get a private attorney during his court appearance yesterday. He disclosed to the court that he had no past convictions and no pending cases, with the exception of child support.
People in the community were shocked to hear about the horrific crime at the hostel. The matter has been rescheduled for next week so that Lefafe can get counsel and file a formal bail application.