Durban — The defence in the case against a husband alleged to have killed his wife would be calling an expert witness from Johannesburg when it was its turn to lead evidence in the trial.
This emerged on Monday in the Durban High Court where Sfiso Professor Ndlovu, 46, appeared before Judge Mohini Moodley.
It was said by Ndlovu’s defence lawyer, K Jairam, whose client stands accused of killing his estranged wife, Khulukazi Ndlovu, 39, and burning her inside her car in April 2020.
Khulukazi, who was an eThekwini Municipality employee, had been missing for a few days when her car was found burnt and abandoned in a cemetery in Molweni.
Human remains were found inside the wreck, but the identity of the body was only confirmed six months later through DNA.
Her family had been unable to bury her because of the delay in confirming the body’s identity.
Ndovu, an inspector at Tansnat bus service, was arrested nearly six months after the charred body of Khulukazi was found.
The couple lived in Phoenix. They did not have any children.
She had moved out of their Phoenix home and was renting accommodation in the area at the time of her disappearance.
State prosecutor Thabani Buthelezi said the matter was on the roll for the court to determine whether the trial should start in light of another matter which was the main trial.
“I’m making arrangements for accommodation and flights for witnesses from outside of the province. Some of the witnesses indicated that they are available on Friday,” he told the judge after she had said the matter would sit for trial on Wednesday.
After the court appearance, speaking on the phone, Khulukazi’s relative who preferred not to be named, said the family had been waiting since last year to see the trial begin.
The trial was initially meant to start last year but adjourned to begin this year. She said they hoped there would be no more delays.
“We want justice for my sister – it has been a long time coming and we are tired of waiting. This has taken its toll on our parents.”
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