Durban - A Western Cape man has pleaded guilty to killing a 64-year-old man he claimed he saw murder his mother in 2011.
He also pleaded guilty to raping the man’s 67-year-old sister shortly after the murder.
The matter was heard in the Pietermaritzburg High Court before Acting Judge Elsje-Marie Bezuidenhout.
In his guilty plea, the 24-year-old accused, who cannot be named at this stage, said he grew up in King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape.
In his plea handed to the court by advocate Amanda Hulley, he said the deceased had been dating his mother between 2009 and 2011.
“They would meet at the hotels in King Williams Town.”
The accused said he met the deceased on two occasions.
He said on the second occasion in 2011, he and his mother had caught a lift with the deceased.
“Whilst travelling, he stopped his motor vehicle in a forest. He argued with my mother and got out of the motor vehicle. He had a rope in his hand and had a gun tucked on the side of his pants.
“He pulled my mother out of the vehicle and began strangling her with the rope.
“I was afraid and managed to get out of his vehicle. I hiked, and when I got home, I informed my family what had just happened.”
The accused said his family found his mother dead in the forest.
In 2021, the accused said he was browsing Facebook when he came across the deceased’s profile.
“I decided to create a fake profile to establish his location. I wanted to get revenge for what he did to my mother.”
He said he created a fake profile with the name Rihana and pretended to be a white female.
“I invited the deceased as a friend on Facebook, and we would message each other. Whilst pretending to be Rihana, he told me that he was living in Pietermaritzburg and agreed to meet me.”
The accused said he travelled to Pietermaritzburg and lived with his friend in Richmond.
He said he planned to meet the deceased and kill him for what he did.
The accused said, on June 5, he messaged the deceased to meet him at the Shell Garage in Prestbury.
He said when the deceased arrived, he recognised him and when he left on foot, he followed him.
“He walked a short distance and entered a shop with glass walls.”
The accused said he entered the shop and asked for a glass of water.
“He went upstairs. I waited downstairs, and I closed the door. He came back with the glass of water. I drank it.
“I asked him if he remembered me. I told him that I am the son of a woman he killed in King Williams Town. He was shocked and tried taking out pepper spray from his pocket.
“I grabbed him, and we struggled until I managed to drop him to the floor. I thereafter pulled out my knife and stabbed him repeatedly on his neck and chest area until he was still.”
The accused said he covered the deceased’s lifeless body with a blanket and dragged him to the back of the room.
“I could not leave immediately because there were people fixing a roof on the property next door.”
He said at around midday, the deceased sister arrived.
“I watched her from the top of the stairs. She walked to the deceased’s body. Before she could scream, I grabbed her and covered her mouth. I threatened her and told her not to scream. I took her to the bedroom upstairs. I tied her hands and legs to the bed.”
The accused said he explained who is and that the deceased had killed his mother.
“The complainant kept begging me to kill her. I decided to rape her and not kill her.”
He said, during this time, her husband tried calling her three times.
“I fled through the back door. I realised later, that I lost my cellular phone.”
He said the next day he went to Prestbury Police Station to open a robbery case for his cellphone.
He said at the police station he was questioned about the murder and rape and confessed.
The accused has pleaded not guilty to another count of rape and two counts of armed robbery.
State Advocate Candy Kander led the evidence of the rape victim in-camera.
The trial is proceeding.
IOL