Durban — Today, when the trial against a Pinetown nurse alleged to be the organiser of a hit on her husband resumes, the State will close its case should it not have been successful in locating a State witness whose whereabouts were unknown.
This was revealed by senior state prosecutor Krishen Shah, who said he had one more witness to call, however, she could not be found, adding that he was unsure whether it was an issue of her whereabouts or wellness.
Nomphumelelo Patricia Goncalves and her brother Nkosinathi Steven Zungu are on trial for the kidnapping and murder of her husband, Nkosi Timmy Langa.
Goncalves, who is out on bail, is alleged to have hired Zungu, who remains behind bars, to kidnap her husband from their Pinetown home and kill him. The nurse and her brother are on trial for the murder and robbery, while Goncalves faces two more charges of defeating the course of justice for allegedly falsely reporting her husband missing and the theft of his car.
A previous state witness and hit man in the matter, James Mashudu Mthimkhulu, had testified that Langa was killed when an electric cord cut from an iron in his home was wrapped around his neck and Zungu pulled one end while Mthimkhulu allegedly pulled the other and that he was left in a forest in Ozwathini. The witness that Shah refers to is Mthimkhulu’s girlfriend.
“She had been here at court on numerous occasions waiting to testify and left after having waited without having testified. Diligent attempts have been made to find her. If she can’t be found, that’s the State case. Yesterday, we were told that she fears for her life but I don’t want to speculate,” said Shah on Tuesday.
When the State closes its case, Zungu’s advocate, Jabulisa Malinga, was expected to present evidence before the court with Zungu expected to take the stand and testify. On Tuesday, the matter was adjourned to Thursday to allow for Zungu to have a tooth extraction.
“My instructions from accused one are that he has an abscess on his tooth and is having an extraction tomorrow (Wednesday). My application is to roll over to Thursday to give him time to recoup,” said Malinga.
The State asked that the court order that Zungu bring a medical note should he pitch to court on Thursday.
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