Durban - A PHOENIX man appeared in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the murder of his wife, six months after her charred remains were found inside her burnt car.
Sfiso Professor Ndlovu, 46, is accused of killing his estranged wife Khulukazi Ndlovu, 39, and burning her inside her car in April.
He was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder.
Khulukazi had been missing for a few days when her car was found burnt and abandoned in a cemetery in Molweni on April 3.
She had moved out of their Phoenix home and was renting accommodation in the area at the time of her disappearance.
Her family had been unable to bury her because of the delay in confirming the identity of the burnt body. DNA analysis was done and confirmed last week that the charred remains were in fact those of Khulukazi.
Ndlovu appeared calm as he walked into the dock dressed in a grey suit.
He turned to look for his family in the public gallery and waved to them.
The State indicated it would oppose bail and requested the matter to be adjourned until October 26 for the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) decision on the case and a formal bail application.
Ndlovu then left the dock and made a “sharp, sharp signal” to his family.
His attorney, Sibusiso Dlamini, had asked the court to schedule a date when the court would have sufficient time to deal with the bail application process.
Speaking outside court, Dlamini said the DPP’s decision would either indict the case to the high court or withdraw the charges against Ndlovu.
“At this stage, we don’t know what evidence the State has against him. We handed him over before, only for him to be released the next day. The DPP’s decision remains to be seen.”
Khulukazi’s sisters, who sat in the back row of the courtroom, said they still could not believe that their brother- in law was the murder suspect.
They said the pain of losing their sister was unbearable and learning that their brother-in-law was the suspect was traumatic. “We are confident that the truth will come out and that justice will prevail. We are now making plans to bury our sister with dignity. We hope that she will rest in peace and that we will finally find closure by seeing her killer locked away for life,” said one of Khulukazi’s relatives.
Meanwhile, women dressed in ANC regalia protested outside court and called for Ndlovu not to be granted bail.
They were also there to support the mother of an 8-year-old girl who was allegedly raped at the YMCA in KwaMashu on Thursday.
The 61-year-old rape accused had appeared in the same courtroom. The matter was adjourned until October 27 for a bail application. It is alleged that the child was playing with others when the man called her to his room.
Her mother was apparently outside when she saw the man’s door open and her daughter leave his room.
When she asked her daughter what she was doing at the man’s house, she allegedly said the man called her inside and started touching and kissing her.
The mother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her daughter, said she took her daughter to the clinic where it was confirmed that she had been raped. “She has been traumatised and has not been to school. I want justice for my daughter. Her life will never be the same.”
Daily News