'It was fun killing her'
2006-09-07 09:06
Cape Town - Police were horrified to find gruesome messages painted onto the wall of an Observatory house where a five-year-old girl was found strangled in Cape Town.
Faiza Mugalula, 22, came upon the body of her little girl Aaakifah at about 07:00 when she returned from working night shift.
Next to the lifeless body of the toddler of Observatory, lay her unhurt one-year-old stepsister.
Messages painted on the walls behind curtains and portaits, read,
"Have you checked the children", "Handsome killer", "It was fun killing her" and "Your little angel is resting in peace".
Police were searching for the girl's stepfather, Ugandan citizen George Mugalula, in connection with the murder. Mugalula would have been deported later this month.
Revenge killing
Housemate Catherine Effende said Mugalula had sent SMSs the whole morning to his estranged wife.
"This is sick. I have never seen anything this sick."
"There's a boy in the creche that I like very much. We are going to the
school's spring ball together." This was the last thing Effende remembered Aaakifah Salie telling her.
Effende said Mugalula was an artist who provided portraits and African art to stalls on Greenmarket Square. He had allegedly painted messages all over the bedroom walls.
Sulaiman Salie, 30, a carpenter foreman, said his former wife called him at work to inform him about their daughter's death. "I looked forward to fetching the children for the weekend," he said.
His brother-in-law, Adenaan Kassiem, said Mugalula allegedly murdered the child to "get back" at his estranged wife.
According to neighbours, Mugalula was a quiet, private person. He stayed with the children and cleaned the house early in the mornings while his wife
was working. He allegedly called his wife a few hours after the murder and
kept sending her SMSs.
"I'm in a pub," he allegedly said. "Just wanted to hear if you have found the child. I'm quite happy... I'm enjoying myself." He apparently wanted to borrow R2 000 from her in order "to disappear".
According to neighbours, Mugalula tried to strangle his wife about a year ago. He apparently spent a few months in Pollsmoor Prison.
They also said police found several knives under the mattress in the room.
"He waited for her in order to hurt her," said Effende.
According to Effende they missed each other by about ten minutes. His cellphone signal was apparently picked up in Bellville, she said.
The little girl's grandmother, who wanted to remain anonymous, said from her house in Limpopo Street, Portlands that she had no words after the tragedy. "God
will help us through this."