THE state believes that murder accused, Mugiyo Mabunda, planned to kill his wife.
On Tuesday, 29 March, Prosecutor Moeng Molatudi told the High Court sitting in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, that evidence witnesses indicated that Mabunda planned to kill his wife Tebogo (39).
The former cop allegedly shot Tebogo 10 times before trying to kill himself in May 2020.
A 15-year-old relative told the court that as the couple was going to the guest room where the murder happened, the accused cocked his gun. The witness said he later heard several gunshots.
Tebogo’s lawyer, Tershia Marshall, said Tebogo wanted a divorce. She said she was speaking to Tebogo on the phone about the matter when she heard gunshots.
Molatudi said the accused knew his wife wanted to divorce him.
“That tells us he was angered by her consulting with her lawyer,” he said.
He said when Mabunda took Tebogo to another area of the house, he knew he was going to kill her.
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But Mabunda’s lawyer, Johann De Necker, said it was not unusual for the couple to go outside or to another room to speak privately. “How do we put that to one side and say he planned the murder? Everything happened in the spur of the moment. The accused wished to die and that was why he shot himself.”
The case was postponed to 6 April.
