Murder-accused was abusive one, court told
‘Vulnerable’ fiancé was stabbed while wearing a shoulder sling
Counter claims of abusive behaviour were levelled against murder-accused fiancée Siphumeze Nangu, 24, in the Zwelitsha magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
Police investigator Sergeant Lunga Mazaleni told magistrate Nokwanda Nkume that the version given to the court by Nangu last week, that she stabbed her fiancé Mkhanyisi “MK” Bana, 36, in self-defence as he was physically abusing her, were not true.
Mazaleni said: “In actual fact, she is the one who was abusive in that relationship.”
Mazaleni said the state would call two witnesses who would testify about her alleged abusive behaviour towards her live-inlover, who died after she stabbed him on February 1.
This was the same day they were supposed to quietly get married at the local home affairs office.
Mazaleni, testifying during Nangu’s bail application, said the state was opposed to bail being granted.
The investigating officer said the state would call Bana’s friends to testify about numerous physical abuse incidents allegedly committed by Nangu, including one in December where she allegedly assaulted him and threatened him with a knife.
The officer said another state witness living in the same block of flats as the couple would testify about Nangu’s abusive behaviour in their flat.
Mazaleni said these allegations were never reported to the police.
The state was opposed to Nangu getting bail due to the “seriousness” of the offence and evidence to be led of her abusive behaviour to Bana.
Mazaleni said it would not be in the interests of justice to release Nangu on bail “as that would cause public uproar”. He told the court there was a community protest outside court on Wednesday calling for no bail, and that there was a Facebook page created by members of the Zwelitsha community calling for justice for Bana.
In her affidavit, read out to the court on Friday by her attorney Mzwamadoda Mancotywa, Nangu admitted to stabbing Bana.
But she said she did it in self-defence while he was assaulting her in the early hours of February 1. She said he was drunk.
She denied intentionally murdering him but said the stabbing happened during a heated argument.
She said he had slapped, kicked, punched, and throttled her and pushed her to the ground.
At that point she had picked up a knife and “accidentally” stabbed him.
She said she had been abused a number of times in the course of the relationship.
Mazaleni disputed her testimony, saying Nangu was seen numerous times, in public, physically abusing her fiancé.
Nangu, an administration intern at provincial police headquarters in Zwelitsha, has been in custody since her arrest on February 1.
Bana worked as an administration official at provincial police headquarters.
Mazaleni said Bana was “vulnerable” as he had an injured right shoulder on that fateful day, and that he was wearing a shoulder sling when he was stabbed.
Mancotywa argued that the state had no case.
State prosecutor Aviwe Brukhwe said Nangu “fell short in convincing the court that it would be in the interest of justice to release her on bail”.
A heavy storm made court proceedings difficult as rain drummed on the zinc roof and the hearing was postponed to Thursday.