Life-term prisoner turns state witness during trial

A CONVICT has turned state witness and will testify against his coaccused in a murder trial.

Falakhe Khumalo, 19, pleaded guilty to killing Desiree Murugan, 39, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Durban Regional Court last year.

Traditional healer Sibonakaliso Zaba, 33, Makhosi Mbili, 32, and Vusumuzi Gumede, 30, were charged with murder while two minors were charged with premeditated murder.

Prosecutor Advocate Cheryl Naidu told the Durban High Court yesterday that Khumalo had turned state witness. Murugan’s half-naked and headless body was discovered by municipal workers at Shallcross Sport Grounds in Chatsworth, KwaZulu-Natal, on August 18 2014.

Crime scene investigators said her head was severed with a blunt object, and that the murder was committed elsewhere and her body dumped there. Murugan’s head was found in Imfume on the KZN South Coast.

Her brother Chris Murugan said the family was still trying to come to terms with the murder. He also told Sowetan his sister was a prostitute. “Going to court is still very frustrating, especially when we have to see the barbaric faces of my sister’s killers. To see them with smiles and an attitude as if they did nothing is extremely painful for us.”

Murugan said their mother’s health had deteriorated due to stress, while the deceased’s son is still traumatised. “We so wish the case could end as soon as possible and [the] killers [be] put behind bars for a long time,” he said.

Judge Phyo Dlwathi adjourned the trial to today, for the defence team to consult with the accused.