Refentse Mokobe
It was with a combined sense of sadness and relief for the Khonkhobe and Seekoei families who finally laid to rest their 31-year-old daughter and niece Pinky Khonkhobe on 1 November 2026 after a month of struggling to do so.
Pinky’s body was found on 30 September. Her body was found buried in a shallow grave in the shack which she shared with her boyfriend near Bobo-se-Plaas in Kimberley.
Her boyfriend, who had gone on the run, was arrested in Gauteng and remains in custody at the Tswelopele Correctional facility in Kimberley after he had abandoned bail.
Pinky’s funeral brought together communities from Bobo-se-Plaas, Bloemanda and Blekkiesdorp as well as relatives from parts of the Free State.
Members of Wanya Tsotsi, a community crime prevention forum in Galeshewe, Kimberley, including its founder Tebogo Obusitse, played a significant role in the discovery of Pinky’s body. They all braved the cold and rainy weather to pay their last respects to her at her family home.
Pinky was the last-born daughter of Joel and the late Jennete Khonkhobe. She schooled at Mankurwane Primary School and later went on to Tetlanyo High School.
A neighbour Dolly Gathebe said Pinky will be remembered for the little things that made her personality unforgettable. She had a contagious laugh and a beautiful smile that could brighten the atmosphere, a lover of dogs, who wore beanies, even on a hot day. These simple yet distinctive traits made her uniquely Pinky.
“I knew Pinkie from childhood, petite in structure and was always with her sister Tsholofelo. I thought they were twins. The family attended church in my neighbourhood, Jerusalema Catholic Church and frequented Pinkie’s aunt’s place in Bloemanda”.
She commended the Khonkhobe family for their singing talent, “All of them were members of the church choir”.
She explained that for a long time Pinky dated her neighbour’s son; as a result, that family was very fond of her. Pinky used to visit the family even after the break-up.
“Although she was unemployed, she fended for herself by assisting people with laundry and cleaning “Offal”. Her love for children was evident in the way she raised Tsholofelo’s son like her own, bathing him, taking him to school and fetching him in the afternoon,” she remarked.
A Seekoei family representative from Bloemfontein confirmed Pinky’s love for children.
“Although she did not have her own children, she always carried a baby on her back and was accompanied by children”.
The family member alluded to to the “beautiful relationship” between the Seekoei and Khonkhobe families and pleaded for unity amongst them.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Pinky had died after a severe beating by her boyfriend and that earlier Pinky had applied for an interdict against him at the local police station earlier this year.
In a bid to intervene in the constant abuse of their daughter the family had relocated Pinky to Bloemfontein. However, she returned to the same person who later took her life.
Family representative Israel Khonkhobe shared childhood memories that confirmed Pinky’s love for dogs. “One day she went too far when feeding the dog. She teased it and it bit her face. When I asked her what happened, she replied: “I was playing with ‘my friend’, referring to the dog, and he bit me,” he recounted.
Khonkhobe requested victims of gender based violence to speak up to receive help, “They must name and shame their perpetrators”.
When the deceased’s coffin arrived at her family home it was allowed to spend about 30 minutes there before departing to the cemetery. This was due to the decomposed state of the body.
The burial atmosphere shifted into a celebration. Hymns and charismatic songs were sung with the signature drum and home-made percussion, symbols associated with the Zion Church. A moment of grief converted into a jubilant moment.
The hearse was led by bikers who encouraged the mourners as a form of unity to fight GBV.
Pinky is survived by her father, two brothers and four sisters.
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