Durban — A KwaZulu-Natal officer accused of killing his teacher wife arrived in court chewing gum, much to the dismay of the magistrate who asked him to discard it.
Officer Mthokozisi Nene, 44, is accused of shooting dead his wife, Thobeka Nene, 41.
KZN Department of Social Development spokesperson Mhlabunzima Memela said throngs of Ntshanga township residents braved the scorching summer heat to picket outside Camperdown Magistrate's Court calling for a harsh sentence for the officer.
Residents were wearing T-shirts bearing Thobeka’s face.
They were joined by a group of social workers and other stakeholders fighting against gender-based violence.
“A police officer Mthokozisi Nene, 44, arrived in court wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt and chewing gum. He was ordered by the magistrate to discard what he was chewing.
“Nene appeared very relaxed although people were shouting his name in the court gallery which was packed into its capacity,” Memela added.
Memela said Nene denied that he killed his wife claiming that an unknown assailant entered their home in Ntshanga while he was lying on the bed and heard a gun sound. Upon inspection he saw his wife lying on the ground in the pool of blood near the garage.
He said that the KZN Department of Social Development adopted a comprehensive multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and multi-stakeholder approach to dealing with the crimes against women and children in the province.
“The case was adjourned to November 29, 2022, to be taken to the High Court. The accused was remanded to custody,” Memela said.
In August, the Daily News reported that there was jubilation outside Camperdown Magistrate’s Court after Nene was denied bail.
After a month-long bail hearing, Nene, a court orderly at Hammarsdale Magistrate’s Court, was denied bail.
This brought joy to a group of activists fighting GBV, who had been consistently attending the hearing.
The State’s evidence, which was led by investigating officer Captain Bathobile Mdladla, revealed that the list of witnesses included the suspect’s 12-year-old daughter and mother-in-law, whom the court agreed the suspect could indeed be a danger to.
Daily News