Durban - A State witness told the Durban High Court on Monday that he had been hearing voices after he testified in the murder trial involving five accused, including a traditional healer, after the killing of Chatsworth woman Desiree Murugan.
Falakhe Khumalo is serving a life sentence for his role in the August 2014 murder and decapitation of Murugan.
In the past week, he told the court that traditional healer, Sibonakaliso Mbili, had promised him R2 million if he brought the head of an Indian, white or coloured woman.
Under cross-examination on Monday, he told Judge Thoba Poyo-Dlwati that he had often slept over at Mbili’s house from the time he first met him in 2013.
When questioned by defence advocate, Rema Mahabeer as to why he did not speak of this during his evidence-in-chief, Khumalo said he could not remember everything exactly.
He referred to muti and said “the minute I started testifying, I’m hearing voices”.
Poyo-Dlwati questioned him further and Khumalo said he heard the voices while he was asleep.
Mbili, 32, and three minors, including a 16-year-old girl, have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to kill and murder Murugan. Mbili’s assistant, 30-year-old Vusumuzi Gumede, pleaded not guilty to the charge of accessory after the fact to murder.
Murugan was lured to a sports ground in Shallcross where she was stabbed 192 times and beheaded.
Khumalo told the court he had visited Mbili six times since they first met in 2013. He first said it was five times, then changed this to six after elaborating on each visit.
He testified to first being told about the head at his second visit and on the third visit had brought his friends for Mbili to confirm the promise of R2m.
The fourth visit, he said was to collect the muti from Mbili. The fifth visit was when they took Mbili the woman’s head and the sixth visit was the day when the accused were arrested, he testified.
Khumalo then spoke about often staying over at Mbili’s house after his third visit, saying he would arrive late in the afternoon and Mbili would tell him, and whoever he had arrived with, to spend the night.
Mahabeer put it to Khumalo that this was never reported in his statement to the police, his plea or when he had testified.
Khumalo responded that he had not recalled everything properly earlier.
The trial continues.
Daily News
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