Durban – The nurse alleged to have planned the kidnapping and murder of her husband took the Durban High Court into her confidence while leading evidence and painted a picture of a sometimes abusive relationship.
Nomphumelelo Patricia Goncalves and her brother Nkosinathi Steve Zungu are on trial where they are both facing charges of kidnapping and robbery with aggravated circumstances as well as murder, while Goncalves also faces two counts of defeating the course of justice.
The nurse is alleged to have hired Zungu along with James Mashudu “Ramaphosa” Mthimkhulu to carry out the murder of Transnet engineer Nkosi Timmy Langa on September 29, 2020.
Mthimkhulu is a State witness in the matter and is already serving time for his part in the crime, where Langa was allegedly forced into his Isuzu X-Rider at his home near Hampshire Place in Pinetown and taken to a forest in Ozwathini.
His previous evidence was that Langa was killed with an electric cord cut from an iron in his home.
It was put around Langa’s neck and Zungu allegedly pulled one end while Mthimkhulu allegedly pulled the other. His body was allegedly left in the forest.
Langa’s car was allegedly sold.
On Wednesday, Goncalves got on the stand and described how she and Langa had met in 2011 when they were at university.
“Over time there were then some occasions when he was angry. He would then lay a hand on me, but because I loved him I let that go. It started in the year 2011, but we would have arguments. He’d lay a hand on me; however, he’d apologise and we would move on and continue normally. In those years between 2011 to 2020 there were moments where we were very much in love with each other,” she said.
She said in 2011 Langa allegedly hit her twice and in 2012 it happened twice, in 2013 it was four times, and many times in 2014.
Goncalves continues with her testimony on Thursday.
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