Durban — Like her co-accused, the nurse alleged to have planned the kidnapping and murder of her husband has denied that there was ever a discussion or instruction to have her husband killed.
Nomphumelelo Patricia Goncalves and her brother Nkosinathi Steve Zungu are on trial. Both face kidnapping and robbery with aggravated circumstances as well as murder charges, while Goncalves also faces two counts of defeating the course of justice.
The nurse is alleged to have hired Zungu along with James Mashudu “Ramaphosa” Mthimkhulu to carry out the murder of Transnet engineer Nkosi Timmy Langa on September 29, 2020.
Langa had finished paying lobola for Goncalves, and they were planning their wedding for December.
Mthimkhulu is a state witness in the matter and is already serving time for his part in the crime, where Langa was allegedly forced into his Isuzu X-Rider at his home near Hampshire Place in Pinetown and taken to a forest in Ozwathini.
His previous evidence was that Langa was killed with an electric cord cut from an iron in his home.
It was put around his neck, and Zungu pulled one end while Mthimkhulu allegedly pulled the other. His body was allegedly left in the forest.
Langa’s car was allegedly sold.
On Thursday, Goncalves, while on the stand, echoed Zungu’s testimony that there was never any talk about having Langa killed that took place in her car while she was in Kenville with Zungu and Mthimkhulu.
This was contrary to previous evidence by Mthimkhulu, as well as another State witness, Mandisa Ngidi, who had led evidence that she was present in Goncalves’ car when this discussion took place.
“I've never met her (Mandisa). We (inside the car) didn't talk about killing him. There was no need to do so. There was nothing new that was bad happening that would give me a need to kill a person. We were making wedding plans. Although we were experiencing some issues, these were the same issues we have been dealing with for the past nine years. As I've said, we were busy preparing for our wedding from that day (28 September), and the following week, we were to meet with decor and venue people,” said Goncalves.
The trial continues.
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