THE legal representative of convicted murderer, Romualo Brown failed to show up in court again.
Brown was supposed to be sentenced on Monday, 26 February in the Mbombela High Court in Mpumalanga. But his lawyer, Keabetswe Mokotedi failed to appear on behalf of his client for the fourth time.
State advocate Beauty Chibangu told the court she received an email in the morning informing her that Mokotedi won't make it to court after he was apparently involved in an accident.
"I then responded back to the email to say they must email details of the accident to assist with a further postponement of the case. This is based on the history of the matter since it has been postponed several times. However, they came up with available dates," she said.
Chibangu added that the state is opposed to the family come to court for postponements.
"This is not the first time counsel for the accused person is not before court. Even on previous occasions, the court had to make an order for him to give reasons for his absence," she said.
ALSO READ | Moegoe drunk driver goes to school!
Judge Lindelwa Vuyeka told Brown to inform his legal team to make an appearance and failing to do so, their conduct will be reported to the Legal Practice Council.
Brown (46) was convicted in June 2023 for the premeditated murder of his ex-lover Nomthandazo Mnguni (30). He was also found guilty of contravention of a protection order.
This relates to an incident in August 2021 when the accused doused Mnguni with petrol and set her alight. He told the court he walked away as his ex-lover burnt. The deceased succumbed to her injuries in hospital a few days after the incident.
The mother of the deceased, Josephine Mnguni told Daily Sun the family was once again disappointed. She said they were ready to close the chapter.
"We came here emotionally prepared that we'll finally close this chapter, but it didn't happen. We're tired of coming to court only to be told that the matter was going to be postponed. It doesn't sit well with us, we want this chapter closed," she said.
The matter was postponed to 4 March for sentencing.
For more news and entertainment at the palm of your hand, follow our WhatsappChannel via this link:
