Investigating officer called back to the stand in case against alleged murderer from eMbalenhle

The investigating officer in the case against alleged serial killer and rapist, Themba Shongwe from eMbalenhle, was again in the witness box last week.

Sergeant Hezekiel Malapela was re-called to be an expert witness in this drawn-out trial that continued in the Secunda Regional Court on October 29.

The public prosecutor, Advocate Tracy Keen-Horak, summoned Malapela to testify about Shongwe’s previous testimony.

Shongwe had previously stated that he is not the culprit in this case, because children are still being murdered in eMbalenhle while he is in custody.

Malapela refuted Shongwe’s statement. He told the court the current murders are different from what has happened to the four young girls who were allegedly Shongwe’s victims.

Malapela said in the current cases (referring to two small boys who have been murdered within the past six months in Ext 16), the toddlers’ bodies were dumped in the veld and were “either decomposed or their private parts were removed”.

After Malapela testified, Magistrate Graham Cupido postponed the trial to November 26 for arguments between the State and the defence.

The court has done calling witnesses as Malapela was the last witness. Shongwe is on trial for the murder of several girls in eMbalenhle.

The murders, as well as numerous other crimes were allegedly committed between 2016 and 2019. The murdered girls are Nokulunga Nkutha (13) and Lerato Nkutha (11) who were cousins, Cynthia Masilela and Mihle Zingamo (14).

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