Triple murderer, rapist to be sentenced
THE fate of a Pietermaritzburg triple murderer will be learnt next week when the Pietermaritzburg High Court hands down his sentence.
The family of the Ndlela women who were killed were filled with anger when details of the crime emerged during the suspect’s guilty plea.
It was revealed that the little girl, Zenande, 8, who was killed alongside her mother, Simangele, 46, and her grandmother, Zanele, 65, had seen both of their lifeless bodies before she was raped and killed at their Sobantu township home.
Her mother had been foaming at the mouth, while her grandmother was bruised and stabbed.
Njabulo Ndlovu, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and two of rape, saying he was remorseful.
He told the court that on June 26, together with friends, he went to the Ndlela home where they all consumed alcohol.
He alleged that Simangele made advances on him and the pair agreed they would spend the night together once the friends had left.
Ndlovu said it was around 1am when they went to bed and had consensual sex.
A few hours later while they slept, Zanele entered the room, ordered him to leave and threatened to stab him, Ndlovu said.
“I woke Simangele up to inform her that her mother wants me to leave the house. She said I should ignore her and she went back to sleep. Zanele returned and threatened to stab me if I did not listen to her. I ignored her threats and remained where I was.
“Zanele came back a third time and had a kitchen knife in her possession,” said Ndlovu.
A scuffle ensued and Ndlovu overpowered Zanele. He told the court he placed his knee on her neck and his anger led him to killing her.
“I removed my knee and strangled her with my left hand. She continued struggling. I had the knife in my right hand and I used it to stab her once in her neck and once in her left temple, above her eye,” he said.
Simangele then woke up and saw her mother lying dead and Ndlovu still holding the knife.
When she tried to grab the knife, Ndlovu said instead of fleeing the scene, he strangled her until she began foaming at the mouth.
Not too long after that, Ndlovu claimed, the little girl walked in and saw her grandmother lying on the floor and her mother lying on the bed. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth.
“She tried to run but I managed to force her on to the floor and she fell on her back.”
Ndlovu then raped her twice before strangling her.
He heard voices outside, got dressed and fled the scene.
Ndlovu will be sentenced on
Thursday.