The Alexandra Magistrates’ Court struck a murder case off the roll after the key witness failed to appear for a scheduled hearing.
The case reported in Alex News’ Murder over girlfriend, Week ending 18 June, involves an accused said to have acted from possessiveness over a girlfriend against the victim who was a rival suitor.
The accused Nkosingamandla Malembe was set free ‘conditionally’ on 16 July by Magistrate Renier Boshoff assisted by state prosecutor Lufuno Maphiri.
Malembe had been remanded in custody charged with stabbing the victim to death on 13 January at Madala Hostel after he had found him talking to the woman. Some of the case hearings were postponed when he changed legal representatives and while the Directorate of Public Prosecution was determining the adjudicating authority for the case.
The state prosecutor said the accused was charged with stabbing the victim he found proposing to the woman said to have refused his advances and warned him that the accused didn’t like men talking to her. When he persisted, she told him to leave her alone and that he was also too young for her. Malembe seemingly appeared, asked what they were talking about and told them not to make a fool of him. He produced a knife and stabbed the victim several times. As he fell, the woman, who was sobbing, steadied him to the ground while the accused walked away. She later followed and told him that the victim had died but he told her that it was as a result of her mischief and that she should mourn her dead boyfriend alone. He was arrested a day after the incident. It was also revealed that he beat the woman whenever he found her talking to any man including her male relatives.
