Trial of eMbalenhle’s alleged serial killer begins in Secunda Regional Court
He is charged with the murder of cousins Nokulunga Nkutha (13) and Lerato Nkutha (11), Cynthia Masilela (16) and Mihle Zingamo (14).
The trial of an alleged serial killer from eMbalenhle began on Tuesday, July 26 with a survivor as the first witness on the stand.
The young woman, who was a teenager at the time of her attack, testified in camera in the Secunda Regional Court.
Themba Shongwe is being accused of the murder of several young girls in eMbalenhle between 2016 to 2018.
Magistrate Graham Cupido briefed the survivor on her constitutional right of being able to testify without an audience present in the gallery.
The community and journalists were asked to remain outside the courtroom while the survivor testified.
After the first witness testified in camera, her mother was called to the stand.
The mother told the court that her family was terrified by what had happened to their child in 2016.
She had sent her child to buy bread at a nearby shop in Ext 14, eMbalenhle.
The girl returned with her hair and clothes full of grass.
The girl told her mother that someone had raped her and taken her cellphone.
The woman took her daughter to the police station where a rape case was opened.
The mother also testified that after the case was opened, they were to Evander Hospital where it was confirmed that the girl had been raped.
The mom said while they were on the way back to eMbalenhle with the police, her cellphone rang and the number on the screen was that of her daughter’s stolen cellphone.
The daughter answered the call and placed it on loudspeaker for the police to also hear the conversation.
The mother testified that the caller asked her child to meet him where they had met the previous day (when she was raped).
She told the court the caller informed her child that he knew she had informed the police and her family about what had happened.
When the girl denied it, the caller hung up.
The witness also told the court since the rape, the girl has become aggressive, even after receiving counselling.
She said sometimes the girl is moody and even beats her siblings without a reason.
“She also told me that I do not love her, and the way she was affected by the incident. She later also fell pregnant.
“As a family, we still want to know who raped our child and why,” said a mother.
She told the court she does not know Shongwe and also does not know who raped her child.
The trial was postponed to Thursday, August 4 for more witnesses to testify.
Shongwe was arrested in 2019.
Angry residents burned down Shongwe’s house at the time.
He is charged with the murder of Nokulunga Nkutha (13) in 2016, Cynthia Masilela (16) in 2017, Lerato (Rato) Nkutha (11) in May 2018 and Mihle Zingamo (14) in November 2018.
Nokulunga and Rato were cousins.
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/128355/justiceformihle-12-year-old-girl-raped-murdered-dumped-street-embalenhle/
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/129604/locals-remembers-that-were-killed-in-gender-based-violence/
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/151806/themba-shongwe-stand-trial-march-murder-four-girls/
