Durban — A traditional healer charged with murder, defeating the ends of justice, and malicious damage to property would hear on Wednesday whether his application for bail had been successful.
Nhlanhla Zondo appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where he made his bail application.
Zondo, who claims to know nothing about the alleged offence, is alleged to have shot a man and then set him alight in his car, burning the deceased beyond recognition in KwaNdengezi.
His home was allegedly torched by angry members of the community following the alleged murder.
The State alleges that the man would sometimes spend time with Zondo and had owed him money, an amount of which was not indicated.
During Zondo’s bail application, through an affidavit read out in court by his legal aid, attorney KS Nxele said the accused had three minor children and an 18-year-old and that he was a traditional healer, adding that his wife was unemployed.
Nxele told the court that should Zondo be granted bail he would stay in Shallcross at a house belonging to his grandmother.
“If I get bail I will be safe, no harm will come to me … I have four children that depend on me. My home was burned by the community and I hope to be released so I can restore it. I have no knowledge of the State witnesses. I will not contact or interfere with State witnesses. I can afford R1 000 bail.”
Nxele explained to the court that Zondo would be rebuilding at a different location from the one set alight.
Investigating officer Sergeant Themba Khuluse said that Zondo had been linked to the commission of the offence by a confession that he made to a captain in the SAPS, adding that he had been arrested following a tip-off from an informant.
“I am opposing bail. If he is released the community will kill him as they are angry about what he did. His co-suspect will kill the accused. The community, who have already burned his house, promised to kill the accused if he gets bail.”
In her address, Nxele said her client would like to rebut the confession, adding that when the police came to arrest him they had forced him into confessing.
“They were making threats that they were going to kill me if I did not talk about the person that was killed. They went into a room where I work as a traditional healer and took my money.
“They were looking all over the house, saying that they were looking for body parts … I ended up confessing to something I didn’t know.”
Magistrate Sishi, who is expected to rule on bail on Wednesday before adjourning the matter, asked Zondo who was arrested on June 20, what was happening from the day (June 18) of the actual incident to then.
“I have no idea what was happening at that time as I am not guilty of the crime,” responded Zondo.
Daily News