Psychiatric evaluation report of murder accused Ballito mother expected in court tomorrow

The criminal capacity of the Ballito mother who stands accused of murdering her 6-year-old daughter will be decided at the KwaDukuza regional court on Wednesday, March 3 where her psychiatric evaluation report from Fort Napier, a public mental facility, is expected to be submitted.

Fungai Nyamadzawo was arrested after the body of Alexia Nyamadzawo was found in a remote sugarcane field in Riet Valley, outside of Glendale 2 days after her mother had reported that she had been abducted from the back seat of her vehicle on Sunday, May 31.

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The 42-year-old Zimbabwean is also facing charges of perjury and defeating the ends of justice after she told police she had been driving in the area with Alexia and her 14-year-old daughter at the time when she slowed down at a speed hump near Shayamoya.

She claimed an unknown man opened the door of her vehicle and took Alexia, a grade 1 pupil at Umhlali Preparatory, who was asleep at the time.

The North Coast community were left reeling after Nyamadzawo was taken in for questioning by police the following day and was arrested the next day.

Nyamadzawo appeared briefly in Umhlali Magistrates Court last year on June 3 on charges of premeditated murder.

However, her mental state was brought into question by her attorney Rakesh Maharaj during her second appearance at the Umhlali Magistrates court on June 8.

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Maharaj said his client had a history of mental illness and was extremely emotional and in need of observation and examination.

Fungai Nyamadzawo, was scheduled to be admitted to Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg on August 25, for a 30-day psychiatric observation to establish whether she was mentally fit to stand trail and to access her criminal capacity at the time of committing the crime.

Her evaluation was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

She was at Westville prison until her admission to Fort Napier on December 15.