A promising young boxer is facing murder charges for allegedly killing his Cato Ridge neighbour in a heated altercation.
Andile Mntungwa, 22, was driving a minibus belonging to his family when the road was blocked by an allegedly intoxicated group. Xolani Zungu was among them.
Mntungwa pulled over, got out of the minibus taxi and allegedly started punching and kicking Zungu until he was unconscious. Zungu was taken to hospital but died four days after the incident.
However, police claim Mntungwa didn’t only punch and kick the dead man. They allege he also ran over Zungu with the minibus.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman, Major Thulani Zwane, confirmed the incident.
“The victim was allegedly assaulted and run over. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition where he later died.”
Mntungwa appeared in the Camperdown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The case was postponed to October 29. The boxer was granted R2 000 bail.
Mntungwa’s boxing trainer, Alex Mchunu, said it was heart-wrenching to see his protegé being arrested.
“Three days after the incident, Mntungwa, supported by his family, went to the police station after learning that a case of assault had been opened against him. That was before the injured man died,” Mchunu said.
Of the four matches he has fought, Mntungwa has won two, drawn one and lost one. He was ranked number three in the welterweight division last year.
Mchunu, whose 25-year-old son, Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu, is ranked at the top in the cruiserweight division by the World Boxing Council, said Mntungwa had a bright future in boxing.
The dead man’s mother, Zandile Zungu, said the family was still mourning their son’s death and requested privacy. Zungu was buried last week.
Sunday Tribune