Durban - Alleged serial killer Joseph Ntshongwana had a fascination for King Shaka because of the legend that he had killed a pregnant woman to see her unborn child.
Warrant Officer Lucky Mathe presented this evidence on Monday, describing amongst other things, a conversation he had with Ntshongwana, because some of his alleged victims were beheaded. He had been giving him a lift at the time.
Ntshongwana, a former Blue Bulls rugby player, is on trial before Durban High Court Acting Judge Irfaan Khalil. He is facing four counts of murder and two of attempted murder in an alleged killing spree between March 20 and March 23 last year.
He is also charged with kidnapping and raping a woman in November 2010. He pleaded not guilty and his attorney Themba Mjoli, said he remembered nothing of any of the incidents. A psychiatrist, whom the court has learned never actually assessed Ntshongwana, has reported that he suffers from a “delusion disorder”.
On Monday, the policeman testified that on March 24 last year he had gone to recover an unreturned vehicle for Avis from Ntshongwana.
He said the car had been damaged and there was blood inside. Ntshongwana said there had been an accident with a bus.
Ntshongwana drove the car to Avis, with him following, and then he drove him to his Yellowwood Park home.
Mathe said Ntshongwana then told him he was a former rugby player but now he was “reading books” and had a particular interest in books about Shaka.
He said of all the Zulu kings, he was the only one who had killed a pregnant woman so he could see her unborn baby.
“That was when I got alarmed,” Mathe said.
Under cross-examination he conceded that he had not included this in his statement. Nor had he included details of finding the blood in the car.
Mjoli put to him that the car had been hired by Ntshongwana’s mother’s insurance company when her car had gone in to be repaired after being involved in an accident.
He said Ntshongwana’s mother had arranged to extend the hire until March 25.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
The Mercury