adminMncedisi Ndlovu (18), Bhekimpilo Mthethwa (18), both from Gumani village in Stanmore and Nhlanhla Sibanda (33), of Ntengwele village, Ntalale area of Gwanda, have pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese sitting with Mrs Isabel Mashengele and Mr Stanley Hadebe as assessors.
The trio, through their pro deo lawyers, Mr Charles Moyo, of Moyo and Nyoni for Ndlovu, Ndabezinhle Mazibuko, of Calderwood, Bryce Hendrie and Partners for Sibanda and Mr Nathaniel Tawanda Mashayamombe,
of Mashayamombe and Company for Mthethwa denied ever committing the heinous murders or mutilation of the dead.
They want the State led by Mr Whisper Mabaudhi, of the Attorney-General’s Office to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they committed the offences.
They all claim that they were severely assaulted by the police after their arrest so that they could admit committing the crimes.
The State case is that between 18 November and 8 December 2010, the trio allegedly killed four people in the Stanmore area and allegedly mutilated their bodies before dumping the bodies in the bush or burying them in shallow graves.
Some of the dead people’s property was recovered allegedly through their indications.
Mr Mabaudhi led evidence from Ndlovu’s lover, Ms Siduduzile Mabhena who told the court that sometime in September 2010 Ndlovu visited her at her homestead and brought her clothing items as presents for her son by another man.
It was her testimony that Ndlovu told her that his sister residing in Bulawayo had given him the clothing items.
Sometime in early December, Ndlovu again invited her to a homestead in the area where he said he was now employed to look after the residence since the owners were staying in Bulawayo.
She said Ndlovu again gave her some clothing items which he said came from his sister.
“Some few days later news started spreading within our village about human killings and I stopped visiting the accused fearing that I could also end up being a victim as most villagers were living under a self-imposed curfew,” she testified.
Ms Mabhena said on 13 December the same year, another report of the discovery of human remains started circulating within the village and as she walked towards the scene she was stopped by police officers who later arrested her and she was detained at Gwanda Police Station for two weeks.
She was later interrogated by detectives and informed them about the clothing items that Ndlovu had given her.
She will continue with her testimony when the trial resumes with cross-examinations by Mr Mazibuko and Mr Mashayamombe.
Earlier Ms Ntombizodwa Khumalo, who was Sibanda’s lover and mother to his four-year-old son, told the court that on 14 February last year, detectives called her to identify property, which had been recovered from her lover.
The property included two panties and a black bra which she denied any knowledge of.
Online Reporter