Durban — Judge Esther Steyn will be presiding over the plea of a teen charged with two counts of murder, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
This emerged yesterday in the Durban High Court where the teenager appeared before Judge Graham Lopes.
The teen had been charged along with Slindile Pamela Zamisa and her daughter Andile Zamisa for the 2020 kidnapping and murders of mom and child Smangele Simamane and 12-year-old Sbongakonke Mthembu.
However, when the trial began she indicated that she wanted to plead guilty and there was a separation of trial imposed for this reason.
When the offences were committed the accused teen was 13 years old. The trial against the Zamisa women was wrapped up last Wednesday with judgment expected on Tuesday.
Last Wednesday the teen’s matter was adjourned for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to approach the judge president in the province for the allocation of a judge who would preside over her plea proceedings.
In court on Monday Judge Lopes told the teen that her plea would be heard before Judge Steyn on Wednesday.
He explained to her that her plea could not be heard on Tuesday as the prosecution was unavailable.
Nomfundo True Love Ngcobo and Sthembiso Nicholas Lamula were convicted and sentenced in 2021 for their part in the murders and disposal of the bodies.
Ngcobo who is Zamisa’s (Slindile) stepdaughter is serving 20 years while Lamula who had been Zamisa’s (Slindile) lover is serving six years for helping dump the bodies.
Evidence that has been heard before the court was that Sbongakonke had arrived at the Zamisa home on the day of the alleged murders asking that the teen accompany her to a tuckshop. The two children had been told to no longer be friends as there was always trouble when they were together.
Following this evidence was that Zamisa (Slindile) sent Andile and Ngcobo to fetch Sbongakonke’s mother to discuss why her child was at their home.
Once Simamane was inside the house she was attacked and accused of having a hand in the murder of Bheki Ngcobo who is Zamisa’s (Slindile) late husband and Nomfundo’s father.
The accusation stemmed from a prophecy by a relative who detailed how Bheki had his eyes gouged out at the time he was killed.
Simamane, according to Ngcobo’s evidence was assaulted by Andile, the teen as well as Ngcobo before she had four kettles of boiling water poured on her body and was strangled with a rope and had a shovel pressed against her neck.
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