DURBAN - SIBUSISO Mvubu, 38, who is accused of killing his wife Philisiwe Mvubu, 47, at their home in KwaMakhutha, failed to appear in the Umbumbulu Magistrate’s Court for the fourth time on Monday.
Mvubu was on the court roll for his bail application but no reason was given about why he was not brought to court from the Department of Correctional Services in Westville.
In July, when neighbours forced the house door open they found Philisiwe dead. She was covered with a blanket, lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed to death.
Mvubu allegedly used an angle grinder to try to cut up his wife’s body. Her hands were almost severed. The grinder was found next to her body.
The court heard that more charges could be added once police had finalised their investigation into death threats that he had allegedly sent the family while he was in prison.
His attorney, who declined to be named as he feared for his life, said it was the fourth time his client was not brought to court. The attorney has received backlash from the community for representing Mvubu.
Magistrate P Moodley said officials claimed Mvubu’s requestion forms with his next court appearance date had been lost. She postponed the matter to Monday.
In court, Philisiwe’s mother Reginah Mnyandu told the investigating officer that the accused had allegedly made death threats to family members while he was in prison. She alleged that if he got bail he would come after them.
The court advised Mnyandu to make a statement to the police.
“We fear for our lives. That is why I told the court not to release him. If they do, the family will have to go into hiding. We thank God that we received this information before his bail judgment,” Mnyandu said.
Meanwhile, in a separate matter, Bonginkosi Khanyile, the #FeesMustFall activist who was arrested on Sunday for allegedly inciting violence during last month’s unrest, appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He will remain behind bars until next Thursday.
His lawyer on Monday asked to be given time to study the charge sheet and prepare their arguments when applying for his bail, a move the State has already indicated that it would oppose.
Khanyile was arrested in Gauteng on Sunday. He was charged for allegedly inciting public violence, addressing an illegal gathering and for not wearing a mask while in public. The State alleges that Khanyile addressed a gathering in Durban’s Anton Lembede (Smith) Street on July 10, a day before the looting. The State alleges that between July 8 and 11, Khanyile “procured persons” to engage in public violence and that happened at Warwick Junction in central Durban.
In each of the counts Khanyile faces, the State argued that he should be jailed for six months or fined R200 000.
Khanyile hails from Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal and has expressed sympathy for jailed former president Jacob Zuma, who is also from Nkandla.
Daily News