Durban — The pretrial for a KwaZulu-Natal primary school teacher accused of organising a hit on her husband, and her alleged accomplice, is set to take place in the Durban High Court later this month.
The 50-year-old teacher, Gugu Mchunu, and her co-accused, Lindani Phungula, are accused of organising a hit on her husband, Richard Jabulani Mchunu, in April last year.
Mchunu and 30-year-old Phungula are alleged to have been involved in an extramarital affair.
“Accused two was married to the deceased and their marriage relationship had soured. The accused decided and conspired to kill the deceased. They enlisted the assistance of two individuals to kill the deceased,” the State says.
It is alleged that the assailants attacked the teacher’s husband at his home in the area of Luganda, just outside Pinetown, and shot him on the evening of April 22 last year.
“The deceased was rushed to Crompton Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and died. The cause of death to the deceased was later established as multiple gunshot wounds. The State alleges that at all material times, the accused and assailants acted in concert and in furtherance of the execution of a common purpose to commit the crime of murder.”
When the pair last appeared in court before Judge Mohini Moodley, State prosecutor advocate SN Mbokazi indicated that “all required documents had been provided to the two accused’s counsel”.
Phungula’s Legal Aid counsel, advocate TP Pillay, told the court that he had been instructed only the previous day and therefore needed more time to consult with his client before the pretrial.
“By the 17th we should have a pretrial. The adjournment is for counsel to consult with you. The trial itself is set down for 6 to 23 November. These are dates that have been reserved for trial here at the Durban High Court,” said Judge Moodley.
The two will remain behind bars. After their arrest in June last year, the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court denied them bail. During their bail application, Mchunu told the court that she was a teacher at Bruyns Hill Primary School, had two children, aged 27 and 20, who were unemployed and that she was the sole breadwinner.
Phungula told the court that he was an employee at Clover and the breadwinner. The case was referred to the Durban High Court in February.
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