🕯️ GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: MAY THEIR BURIAL NOT BE THE BURIAL OF THEIR JUSTICE
Written by a heartbroken cousin
I never thought I would be writing something like this. Losing both my cousins — Tshiamo and Baleseng Moramaga — still doesn’t feel real. One moment they were laughing and making TikToks, talking about their next hosting gig, and the next, I was identifying their bodies.
They were more than just cousins to me. They were my sisters, my friends, my people.
They were loud, full of life, and never afraid to dream big. If you knew them, you knew that laughter followed them everywhere they went. They were warm, kind, and hardworking — always hustling to make a living. Tshiamo loved doing hair installations and was so good at it that people would book her weeks in advance. Baleseng, on the other hand, loved hosting at clubs and events; she had that magnetic energy that made everyone feel seen and alive. They didn’t wait for opportunities to come to them — they created their own.
That’s the part that hurts the most — they were finally getting things right.
Tshiamo had been in a relationship with a man named Tebogo Mnisi. To many people, he seemed charming and caring at first. But behind closed doors, he was controlling and abusive. We saw the signs — the fear in her eyes, the excuses she made, the way she started isolating herself.
She finally found the courage to walk away. She was done with his temper, done with the manipulation, done with being afraid. She told him it was over, and for the first time, she looked like herself again — happy, free, ready to move forward.
But that decision cost her life.
On that tragic night in Mamelodi East, she and her cousin Baleseng were just out having fun with friends — dancing, laughing, being their usual selves. Then everything changed in seconds.
Tebogo followed them. Witnesses say he stopped his car, stepped out, and opened fire. No argument, no warning — just pure rage. Tshiamo died instantly, and so did Baleseng, who tried to protect her cousin in those last moments.
They died together — the same way they lived, side by side.
It breaks me that their story is now being told in past tense. They were so much more than victims.
They were vibrant.
They were independent.
They were loved.
Their families remember them for their big hearts, their loud laughter, and their courage to live life fully. They were young women who believed in themselves even when life was tough.
When I think of them, I think of two bright souls who refused to be dimmed — until a man decided his ego was worth more than their lives.
This Is Not the End
Tebogo Mnisi was arrested and charged with two counts of premeditated murder, one of attempted murder, and possession of an illegal firearm. But arrest is not enough.
We want justice.
We need justice.
Their burial cannot be the burial of their justice. Too many women die at the hands of men who once claimed to love them. Too many families are left shattered while cases drag on for years. We cannot let that happen again — not this time.
Tshiamo and Baleseng deserve to rest knowing that their story led to something bigger: change.
If you are reading this, please don’t let their names fade away. Say them out loud. Remember them for who they were — two hardworking, loving, and fearless young women who had so much more to give to this world.
May their souls rest in peace.
May their laughter echo forever.
And may their justice be served in full.
🕊️ #JusticeForTshiamoAndBaleseng
🕯️ #SayTheirNames
Social Plugin