Durban - THE man accused of murdering Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) student at the university residence in the Durban city centre began his testimony on Monday in the Durban High Court by confessing his deep love for her.
Thabani Mzolo who is facing a charge of murder of Zolile Khumalo, told the court that they were so much in love that they always said that they will love each other until death do them apart.
He said he loved her deeply and so much that she told him that she loved him even more than her own parents.
Khumalo, was allegedly shot and killed by Mzolo at her room at Lonsdale student residence on May 1, 2018.
Mzolo was arrested at the scene in the early morning of the next day.
He told the court that their relationship began at the beginning of 2017.
"We were deeply in love. Each day it was like I was falling in love with her all over again. She would tell me that she loved me more than her parents," he said.
He said in the day of the incident he came to Durban to the Lonsdale residence because he could not reach her on her phone.
He said they had planned to see each other on the day, but when he phoned her to inform her that he was coming over, he could not get hold of her on her phone.
He said he decided to go Lonsdale and phoned person named Mfundo, a fellow member of the SADESMO student movement to sign for his access.
"I told Mfundo that I also wanted to take a shower. He suggested that we call Simiso Buthelezi and I take a shower in his room instead because he was studying at the study hall," he said.
He said that was how he gained access to the student residence. He took a shower and tried calling Khumalo again, but his calls were not answered.
He said Buthelezi asked him where he was coming from at that time of the night, and he told him that he had been to Koki's night club.
He said he sent Buthelezi to check if Khumalo was in her room and for him to also to collect his hooded T-shirt from her.
He said Buthelezi returned to the room and told him that Khumalo was in her room. He then headed there using the stairs at the back to avoid the security guards as the visiting hours were over.
"We knocked and Zolile opened for us. I entered the room and sat on the table and she sat on the chair. She said, 'here are the people we were not expecting to see'.
"She called me baby and said how are you. I responded by saying, 'do not baby me'. I asked her why she had not called," he said.
He said her explanation for not taking his calls was that he had been out and she was also busy with the drawing paper assignment that was due and she had left her phone in her room.
He said she claimed that said she had sent him a WhatsApp message and called him to inform him of her whereabouts.
"I then said, we always say till death do us apart. That is not going to happen today because our relationship was coming to an end because of her act of not taking my calls," said Mzolo.
He said when he raised his eyes to look at her, he realised that she had a gun in tween her thighs on the chair she was sitting on.
The trial is continuing.