Durban — Evidence by a man accused of the murder of a Chatsworth pensioner, strangled during a home robbery, has revealed a State witness as the ringleader along with the woman’s employee, who remains at a state psychiatric hospital.
Bheki Msomi is on trial in the Durban High Court charged with the murder of Jinsee Ram and the attempted murder of her daughter, Sangetha Prithipaul.
It is alleged that in 2020 Msomi entered the Ram home in Kharwastan with three other assailants – Simphiwe Cele, Mthethunzima “Stars” Mpepho and Luvo Mtshezane.
Cele, who had known the Ram family for 30 years, was deemed unfit to stand trial and was sent to a state psychiatric hospital. Mpepho, arrested by police, is a Section 204 State witness and Mtshezane died while on the run.
According to Msomi’s evidence led on Monday, the masterminds in the robbery were Cele and Mpepho.
He said he was lured from his homestead in Maphumulo to Burlington days before the robbery by Mtshezane, who phoned him to say he had secured him employment. Msomi said Mtshezane had no further details about the work except that they should wait for a phone call or a meeting with another man who knew the details.
He said it was only days after his arrival in Burlington that he came to know Cele, who had told Mtshezane about the piece job.
Msomi said Cele told them that they could all sleep in his room at his place of employment and in the morning he would take them to where the work was.
“In the morning Cele woke us up saying the boss had left, but the wife was home and she knew there would be people working there. He said I must go with him inside and Mpepho and Mtshezane must follow with a bucket full of sand from the garage, which was open.
“Once inside Cele told me to wait in the passage. He went alone into a room at the end of the passage. While standing there I saw a woman from inside the house approaching me, but before she could reach me Mpepho and Mtshezane came in with the bucket. Mpepho approached her, grabbed her pushing her to the floor and drew a knife. He also took sellotape and shut her mouth with it. When he was done he got off her and walked straight to the door that Cele had gone through.”
He said while he was standing over the woman on the floor next to Mtshezane, he asked him if this had been the job he had phoned him about.
“Before he could answer because I had already seen what was happening, I left him there and exited the house.”
Msomi said he later got word from Mpepho that he should meet them at Mtshezane’s shack in Burlington.
“I found the three of them there. I found them with lots of money in a 10kg rice plastic bag. The plastic was half full of money. Mpepho had the money. They split the money among the three of them, they said I wouldn’t be getting it because I had fled. When they were finished Mpepho gave me a laptop and cellphone. Mpepho also gave me R4000 and said the cellphone and laptop were for safekeeping. He said he was going back home to Matatiele and would phone me when he wanted his things back.”
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995
Daily News