Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Judgment date set in Mulalo Sivhidzho's murder trial

Judgment in the Mulalo Sivhidzho murder trial will be passed on September 20. The state and defence completed their closing arguments in the Johannesburg high court yesterday. Sivhidzho and co-accused, Ntambudzeni Matzhenene and Sello Arnold, pleaded not guilty to murder, robbery, kidnapping and damage to property.

They all allegedly conspired to kill Sivhidzho's husband Avhatakali Netshisaulu in December 2006. The state alleges that Sivhidzho offered Matzhenene R4,000 to recruit Sello and about six other men to hijack, rob and kill her husband by burning him alive inside the boot of his car.

Netshisaulu was on his way to meet Matzhenene, his business partner and childhood friend, in Honeydew when he was killed. His charred body was found within an hour after he called Sivhidzho to say he was being sandwiched by two cars with no number plates.

In a statement she made to the police soon after her arrest, Sivhidzho said she killed him because he was cheating and she was afraid he was going to leave her. She later claimed to have been forced into confessing by the police and asked the court to reject the statement as evidence. Her defence asked that she be acquitted because there was no direct evidence linking her to the murder.

Netshisaulu was the son of former City Press editor-in-chief Mathatha Tsedu.

Source: The Sowetan

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