A phone call in which a husband told his wife’s sister to prepare for a funeral because he had killed her became crucial evidence that led the High Court to convict him of murder by strangulation.
Justice Sabelo Masuku found that Ndleleni Mfanawendlela Mncina intentionally killed his wife Thandeka Hlanze at Maphalaleni on May 4, 2024 and dismissed his claim that he acted in self-defence after allegedly finding her with another man.
“The Crown has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused unlawfully and intentionally killed the deceased by strangulation. The accused’s admission, flight, concealment and removal of the deceased’s cellphones contradict his claim of self-defence,” the judge ruled.
The court heard that moments after the incident Mncina called the deceased’s sister, Nomcebo Hlophe, using the victim’s cellphone and told her to notify relatives to prepare for a funeral because he had killed her. He also asked her to look after the couple’s child and he later made a similar call to a relative, saying life had failed him and asked that his child be cared for.
Justice Masuku held that these statements, coupled with the accused’s conduct after the incident, demonstrated a guilty mind rather than someone who had acted in self-defence.
Medical evidence from police pathologist Dr R.M. Reddy showed that Hlanze died from pressure applied to her neck. The post-mortem revealed extensive bruising, fractures of the hyoid bone, thyroid cartilage and injuries consistent with forceful strangulation.
The court also heard evidence that the couple’s relationship had been marked by repeated domestic violence. The deceased’s mother, Thulisile Shongwe, testified that the accused had previously assaulted her daughter so severely that she lost her front teeth and was admitted to Pigg’s Peak Government Hospital. She further told the court that the accused had previously strangled and stabbed the deceased.
Family members discovered the deceased’s body after forcing open the locked house. She was lying lifeless on the floor while the accused had already fled. He remained in hiding for four days before community members found him in an abandoned building and handed him over to the police.
In his defence, Mncina claimed he returned from the fields and found his wife with another man. He alleged the man fled and during a struggle, the deceased grabbed him by his private parts, prompting him to grab her neck and push her away without intending to kill her.
The judge rejected that version as an afterthought because it had never been disclosed immediately after the incident and had not been put to key prosecution witnesses during cross-examination.
Justice Masuku further found that instead of seeking medical assistance, the accused fled with the deceased’s cellphones and went into hiding, conduct that was inconsistent with an accidental killing or lawful self-defence.
The court concluded that the State had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mncina intentionally murdered his wife and convicted him of murder with direct intention.
