Durban ‘axeman’ was acting strangely – sister
HE WAS a sweet boy who idolised and trailed after her, wanting to do everything she did.
As he grew older he became “sports mad”, preferring to play rugby and listen to music rather than hanging around with friends.
“We were very close,” said Luleka Ntshongwana, 40, testifying yesterday in the Durban High Court trial of her brother, alleged axeman Joseph Ntshongwana, 37, who is charged with murdering four people and attempting to murder another two in March 2011, as well as the kidnapping and rape of a young woman in 2009.
Luleka gave the impression that her family were eell-educated highfliers, saying her father was a diplomat-turnedbusinessman and her mother a teacher-turned-lawyer whountil last year was a law lecturer at Mangosuthu University of Technology.
Luleka said she was a civil engineering technician and designer. Joseph studied sports administration and marketing in Pretoria while playing rugby for the Blue Bulls, she added.
She said she first noticed “something strange” with him in 2010.
“He started accusing me of poisoning his food. He would not come out of his room to eat and he was someone who liked to eat meals and snack on sweet things in between.
“He also accused me of stealing his clothes and other possessions.
“I would confront him about it, but he would say he knew I had stolen them. He also said there were strange smells in his bedroom and refused to sleep there. But his room smelled just like mine,” she said.
Under crossexamination by prosecutor Rea Mina, Luleka said when the police were called to assist in taking him to hospital, her brother had not been aggressive but had gone with them willingly. She said she had not been living at home in February and March 2011 when most of the alleged crimes took place, but had detected that things were not always right when she contacted him by phone.
The trial continues today with cross-examination of defence psychiatrist Professor Abubaker Gangat who says Ntshongwana is mentally ill and cannot be held criminally responsible.