A Tzaneen man who is said to bear a striking resemblance to Sandile Mantsoe has spoken out after a social media user reported seeing Karabo Mokoena’s killer in Braamfontein last week.
Others on social media began circulating pictures of Zane Sekhwela, whom they alleged was a Mantsoe lookalike, but the accountant has fired back, saying he does not look like Mantsoe, who is serving 32 years in jail for murdering his 22-year-old girlfriend Karabo Mokoena in 2018.
The Department of Correctional Services has moved to quickly shut down speculation after some initial fears that Mantsoe had escaped from custody, like Facebook Rapist Thabo Bester, who staged his death and escaped from prison last year.
“You guys are putting me and my family in danger, I am Zane Sekhwela not Sandile,” tweeted Sekhwela in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
You guys are putting me and my family in danger, I am Zane Sekhwela NOT Sandile!
This is Zane Sekwela works for the group HR of City of Joburg in Braamfontein not Sandile Mantsoe pic.twitter.com/HjssGCTQcg
— Chains Breaker (@MsunuKaVerwoerd) October 3, 2023
In an interview with news broadcaster eNCA, Sekhwela, who is a qualified accountant, explained that he worked for the City of Joburg’s human resources department but left last year.
He said he became aware of people circulating his pictures saying he was Mantsoe on Tuesday morning.
“I moved back to Tzaneen at the beginning of the year. I am in Tzaneen right now; I don't know who saw me in Braamfontein last week because I have not been in Joburg this year,” he said.
Sekhwela said he had been inundated with calls and expressed that he was scared for his life, given the crimes Mantsoe had been convicted of.
“I am also scared for my life because it is a dangerous situation. I know about the story (of Mantsoe) because another guy stopped me when I was walking on the street around June last year to ask me if I know this guy. I don't think we look alike,” he said, admitting that more people thought he looked like Mantsoe.
Sekhwela said he was speaking to his lawyers to see what action they could take.
“I am definitely going to take this matter further because I am an accountant; I still want to be employed somewhere else, and this could be damaging to my name” he said.
Meanwhile, some social media users sympathised with Sekhwela and urged him to stay safe, while others apologised to him for the distress caused.
Sekhwela described himself as an accountant, and his profile on X said he was the founder of his own hand-crafted gin.
“The lookalike Sandile guy is my homie from Tzaneen. So people must keep him out of this trend as it may be dangerous in the streets of Jozi, especially after what happened to Thabo Bester,” a Mpho tweeted in a response to Sekhwela.
Chrispin Phiri, Correctional Services spokesperson said they approached the Standerton Correctional Centre for an assurance report at 4.35pm on Monday.
“At about 4:35pm we asked for an assurance that offender Sandile Kagiso Mantsoe is still in custody.
Mantsoe was sentenced to 32 years for murder and still has an outstanding case.
“He is at Standerton Correctional Centre with other further charged offenders to make a total of eight in the cell. He is at the centre and he never went out today,” said Phiri.
In September last year, IOL reported that Mantsoe was facing new charges of defrauding investors through his Trillion Dollar Legacy investment scheme at the Evander Regional Court in Mpumalanga.
Mantsoe, who is the sole director of Trillion Dollar Legacy, is accused of luring unsuspecting government employees into investing R2 million into his company.
The alleged fraud crimes happened two years before Mantsoe was arrested for fatally stabbing Mokoena and burning her body in a field in Joburg in 2018.
In August last year, he appeared in court on charges of fraud after being subpoenaed while serving his sentence — the effective 32 years behind bars — at the then privately managed Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein.
He is expected back in court on October 18.
IOL