SEPTEMBER 23 will be judgment day for Deputy Sheriff Vusi Mncina, who is accused of killing four women at Goje Township after he maintained in court that he does not recall shooting them.
Mncina’s fate will be decided by the High Court on September 23 following the conclusion of his trial before Judge Titus Mlangeni yesterday.
The accused has not disputed that the four women died after he shot them during the incident on October 23, 2023.
However, he has maintained that he did not intentionally kill Fikile Shongwe, Cynthia Khulile Shongwe, Nonhlanhla Thwala and Lungile Shongwe.
Most significantly, Mncina told the court during cross-examination that he does not recall pointing the firearm at the women or shooting them.
“No, I did not mean to kill them and I do not recall pointing the gun towards them,” Mncina said.
The issue of whether Mncina intended to kill the women formed a key part of the crown’s cross-examination as the state challenged his account of what happened on the day of the incident.
The crown also presented the evidence of state witness Thuli Mkhwanazi, who was also shot by Mncina but survived the ordeal. She testified that the women pleaded with him while he was shooting them.
Mncina responded that he did not know what he intended at the time.
The trial was subsequently concluded, with Judge Mlangeni postponing the matter to September 23 for judgment.
The Crown has been ordered to file its written submissions by September 4, while Mncina’s defence counsel, Xolani Mthethwa, has until September 11 to file the defence submissions.
“I will allow you to make submissions, preferably written,” Judge Mlangeni said.
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES STRUGGLE TO CONTAIN EMOTIONS
The courtroom became tense yesterday as relatives of the four women shot by Deputy Sheriff Vusi Mncina struggled to contain their emotions while listening to his testimony.
The families were seen murmuring among themselves as Mncina presented his defence before High Court Judge Titus Mlangeni, prompting a police officer stationed inside the courtroom to intervene and instruct them to keep quiet.
The relatives appeared visibly distressed throughout the proceedings, with some seen crying as Mncina maintained that he did not intentionally kill Fikile Shongwe, Cynthia Khulile Shongwe, Nonhlanhla Thwala and Lungile Shongwe.
Mncina admitted he was responsible for the deaths but insisted that the killings were not intentional.
“I do not deny it, but it was not my intention,” he told the court during cross-examination.
The emotional atmosphere intensified as the Crown took Mncina through evidence concerning the moments before and during the shooting.
The families listened as the Crown put it to Mncina that the victims had pleaded with him and apologised if they had offended him, but he allegedly continued firing.
Mncina said he remembered the witness’s evidence but did not remember shooting the women.
The matter was postponed to September 23 for judgment.
