Kimberley - A Galeshewe man, who claims he was afraid of his girlfriend, has pleaded guilty to murder after he stabbed her 45 times with a knife.
Ismael Molupi is facing a possible sentence of 15 years behind bars after he admitted in the Northern Cape High Court on Monday to killing his girlfriend, Nomalizo Nyenye.
Molupi stabbed Nyenye, who is believed to have been a traditional healer, 45 times with a knife at her home at Dingaan Hostel on May 10 this year.
In his plea statement, Molupi said that the incident happened after they had an argument.
“I went to Nyenye’s house on the morning of the incident, at approximately 7am. We sat on the bed and talked. At around 9am, I went to buy some food for us at a nearby shop. When I returned we continued to sit on the bed and ate the food. We continued talking but an argument erupted between us.”
According to Molupi, Nyenye indicated that she resented him for being unemployed and the fact that she had to support him.
“She also said that she resented me because she had to drink a substance, about three weeks before, in order to abort her foetus as she was pregnant with my child,” Molupi said.
He went on to say that things got out of hand after Nyenye threatened him.
“I told her that I would take my things and leave. I went to put my clothes in a bag and wanted to leave. She then told me that she would do the same to me as she did to Neo and CCV. I did not know who those people were or what she had done to them, but the manner in which she made the remark made me afraid.”
Molupi said that Nyenye was a traditional healer and that he had seen how she changed the behaviour of those who consulted her. “She was also in possession of a human figure made from dough, with eyes that were sprinkled with red pepper and needles stuck in its body.
“At that stage I was afraid of the deceased,” said Molupi. “I went to the kitchen, which was next to the bedroom, and took out an Okapi knife. I headed back to the bedroom and stabbed her. I am not sure how many stab wounds I inflicted on her,”
He admitted that he had direct intent to kill Nyenye and stated that he regretted his action.
Nyenye died of a loss of blood due to the multiple stab wounds that she suffered.
Molupi, who has no previous convictions, will return to the stand on Tuesday to give testimony regarding mitigating circumstances on the charge against him.
The State indicated that Nyenye was found in a pool of blood by one of her neighbours.
According to the State, Molupi was seen to be in possession of a knife by his friends.
The State said that other witnesses had seen Molupi going into Nyenye’s home on the morning of the incident with a bag and noticed that he had changed his clothes. A bag containing clothes which appeared to have blood stains on them was found later that afternoon at Molupi’s sister’s house.