MBOMBELA – A 32-year-old man accused of killing his father with a pick handle, pleaded not guilty in the Nelspruit Regional Court.

Mr Mgcibelo Erick Zulu of Jeppes Reef near the Swazi border allegedly murdered his 68-year-old father, Mr Mganeni Zulu, who was found lying in a pool of blood in his house.
A neighbour who testified in court said he saw Mgcibelo running from the house carrying the pick handle.

However, Mgcibelo who had on previous occasions pretended to be mentally disturbed in court, and was sent to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital in Pretoria three times, refuted claims that Mr Adam Thabede was his neighbour. When asked how he knew Thabede, he said he only knew him “from the streets for 50 years”.

“How is it possible that you knew him for 50 years, and yet you are only 32?” asked the prosecutor Mr Samuel Mamabolo.

“I made a mistake, I wanted to say 10 years,” the accused replied.

“Why did you tell the court that Thabede was not your neighbour?”Mamabolo asked.

“I thought you were joking,” he said, saying that he thought the officers who arrested him were joking when they arrested him in connection with the death of his father.

The state prosecutor then told Zulu that the state knew very well that he was mentally sound as he had been sent to Weskoppies and it had three reports confirming this, but he was only trying to mislead the court through his actions.

“Do you agree?” asked Mamabolo.

“Yes I agree that I’m mentally sound,” replied Zulu. The matter was postponed to September 26.