Durban — With both the defence and the State ready to forge ahead with the murder trial of a KwaZulu-Natal teacher and her lover, it is likely that the judge will certify the case as ready for trial on Friday when the duo will appear in court again.
Gugu Mchunu and Lindani Phungula appeared in the Durban High Court on Monday, where advocate SN Mbokazi said that at their previous appearance in May, the matter had been adjourned for Phungula to consult with his lawyer ahead of the pretrial conference.
Mchunu, 50, and Phungula, 30, are alleged to have been involved in an extramarital relationship.
The pair are charged with organising a hit on the woman’s husband, Richard Jabulani Mchunu, last year in April.
Phungula’s attorney advocate TP Pillay and defence attorney Martin Krog were ready to proceed with the pre-trial conference. The matter was adjourned to Friday before Judge Peter Olsen.
The State’s summary of facts in the case is that accused two was married to the victim. Their relationship had soured and the accused decided and conspired to kill the victim.
“They enlisted the assistance of two individuals to kill the deceased,” alleges the State.
Further, it is alleged that on the evening of April 22 last year, the assailants attacked the teacher’s husband at his house in Luganda, just outside Pinetown, and shot him with a firearm.
“The victim was rushed to Crompton Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and died. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds,” alleges the State.
The two have remained behind bars since their arrest in June last year. Both Mchunu and Phungula were denied bail in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
During their bid for bail, Mchunu through an affidavit, told the court that she was a teacher at Bruyns Hill Primary School. She has two children, aged 27 and 20, who were unemployed. She said she was the sole provider for her family.
Phungula had told the court that he was an employee at Clover, adding that he was the breadwinner in his family.
The two were indicted to the Durban High Court in February.
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