Emotions ran high at the Durban High Court yesterday where a former employee of slain Glenwood bed and breakfast owner Jacqueline Needham gave testimony on how she discovered the 69-year-old’s lifeless, bound and bloody body after her horrific murder on August 11, 2022.

Berea Mail reports that four men are on trial for Needham’s murder at the Durban High Court. The trial began on Thursday and will continue until November 7.

The accused, represented by Legal Aid South Africa, are Mzotelwa Manelisi Jali (24), Mdumiseni Gumede (21), Bernard Langa (25) and Fana Bruce Nomfemfe (51).

They face six counts, including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy to commit robbery, perjury, defeating the ends of justice and illegal possession of a firearm. All four men have pleaded not guilty.

Former colleague testifies

Taking to the witness box in courtroom W yesterday, a softly spoken Nomathemba Eugenia Hlongwa, led by state prosecutor Advocate Thabani Buthelezi, told the court that she knew of accused number three, Langa, who is the alleged mastermind.

“The first time that I saw him was at my child’s house in Mayville,” said Hlongwa. “He was there to fix an electrical fault.”

The second time she saw Langa was a few days later at Needham’s guesthouse, accompanied by ‘two or three men’.

“They were called by the deceased to fix a few electrical faults. This was a few days before she was killed,” said Hlongwa. “She was showing him (Langa) where the faults were. One of the places was the cottage, which needed a plug to be fixed.”

The day of the murder

A week later, Needham was found murdered inside the cottage. Breaking down inside the witness stand, Hlongwa recounted how she arrived at 06:45 for her 07:30 shift on August 11, 2022.

“I began my duties, cooking breakfast, and I was interrupted by Carlos (who works on the property). He had a toothache and needed R30 for an extraction which I did not have. He came a short while later and asked that I go check on the deceased because she was not answering, and there was something amiss with her room.

“When I knocked there was no answer and I opened the door. Her clothes were all over the floor and bed. I looked inside the wardrobe and realised that her safe was missing. She was also not there and her car was gone. Promise (employee) pressed the alarm and the security company came to the property and we began checking the rest of the property for the deceased,” said Hlongwa.

‘Her body was between two beds’

She went to check the cottage and found the door slightly ajar. After a short break to gather herself and with tears rolling down, she told the court of the gruesome discovery.

“Her body was located in between two single beds, on the floor. They had been pulled together, as if to hide something. I could not see her face, I saw her from the side. Her hands were tied and there was blood,” said a tearful Hlongwa as she relived the moment.

“I cried and screamed at seeing the deceased in that condition. She was not moving. The next thing I remember was seeing lots of police on the property. I do not remember what happened in between. But I do remember that the dishwashing cloth that I always hang on the lid of the stove at the end of every shift (16:30) was missing, along with the safe and CCTV recording equipment,” said Hlongwa.

A list of missing items read out in court included three cellphones, the safe and a firearm.

The court was adjourned until tomorrow when the state will present its next witness.

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