By Luvuyo Mjekula
A 38-year-old Makhanda man charged with killing his girlfriend and concealing her body, made a brief appearance in the local magistrate’s court on Wednesday, facing murder charges.
The case against Mthuthuzeli Manyathi was postponed until 30 January 2025 to facilitate a transfer to the Makhanda High Court. Manyathi remains in custody after his application for bail was denied after his arrest a few months ago.
Manyathi allegedly killed his 47-year-old girlfriend, Ntombomzi ‘Nomirana’ Nonze, earlier this year.
Nonze’s body was found in her home in Vukani by law enforcement authorities in May.
In court, it was stated that Nonze had secured a protection order against Manyathi after opening a criminal case against him backed up by a medical report confirming she had sustained physical injuries.
The defence argued that Nonze had withdrawn the case against Manyathi and had failed to appear in court.
However, state revealed that Nonze had not been to court because she had been murdered, allegedly by Manyathi.
The prosecutor, C Du Preez, stated at the time that when the court had asked Manyathi, on 21 May, where Nonze was, he had pretended not to know where she was, only for her body to be found in the bedroom they shared in Vukani.
The case shocked the community of Makhanda and drew the ire of gender activists. The religious community led a prayer service at Nonze’s home shortly after her killing.
Members of the Isikhalo group, an anti-GBV organisation, have followed the case since Manyathi’s arrest and have been left frustrated by constant postponements recently.
When Manyathi appeared in court for a formal bail application, the court refused him bail. In denying bail, Magistrate Mkontowesizwe Godolozi had found that there was a likelihood Manyathi would evade trial after he admitted that he fled to the bushes when the police responded to the discovery of Nonze’s body in Vukani.
The magistrate said the possibility of life imprisonment, if found guilty in the case, could also make Manyathi abscond. If he released Manyathi, the decision would likely induce a sense of shock in the community and a lack of trust in the justice system, Godolozi stated.
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail recently, Mavis Ngoqo, Nonze’s cousin, said the dragging of the case was draining them. “We are not happy; it has been a long time since Nomirana was murdered. What we want is to see this young man in prison [for good],” she said at the time.
Nolusindiso Baliti and Anelisa Bentele, members of the Isikhalo group, complained that the case was moving at a snail’s pace.
Bentele said: “I am not feeling well; it has been a while since the case started. Even the family members are panicking. They are saying that the justice system is failing them because the system is taking too long.”
“Imagine having to go to the court; there’s a postponement, and you have to wait another month to go to the court again,” she added. “It is very difficult because it is hard to heal from this court case. It is draining mentally and physically.”
Dressed in a black jacket and white T-shirt, Manyathi appeared relaxed in front of Magistrate Sarel Strauss.
