The man accused of the premeditated murder of Thembisile Yende (30), David Ngwenya (44), and his defence team appeared in the Springs Magistrate’s Court on Monday to apply for bail.
Yende’s decomposed body was found in her office at the Eskom Pieterboth Substation, in Struisbult, last month, two weeks after she was reported missing.
A preliminary postmortem revealed she sustained head injuries and was suffocated.
During the bail hearing, Ngwenya, who works for Eskom as a technician, was formally charged and asked to plead.
In a sworn affidavit, read by his legal counsel, he denied killing Yende.
Ngwenya was arrested on May 15 in Carletonville, on the West Rand.
“But 20 days later he is still fighting for his bail application to be heard which, by law, he is entitled to within seven days of arrest,” says his lawyer, Francois Roets.
Ngwenya’s affidavit states he is a responsible citizen and an employee of Eskom.
“I don’t have any previous convictions or pending cases against me.
“I am a father of three young children who still need me at home.
“I have properties worth R1.5-million in the country but don’t have any properties outside the country,” the bail application further stated.
The state called on the investigating officer, Lieut Col Christo Lotz, to testify and he argued that releasing Ngwenya on bail might hamper further investigations into the case.
“We are yet to arrest a further two suspects in connection with the case and the state’s witness has already been threatened and has had to flee his home twice.
“He has been receiving calls threatening his children’s safety,” Lotz says.
“Releasing Ngwenya now might lead to the police not being able to arrest the other two suspects,” he adds.
Lotz says preliminary results revealed Yende was injected with a substance which rendered her unconscious.
According to Lotz, she was then taken to some bushes where it is believed she was beaten and received a blow to the back of the head, which led to her death.
He says it is believed her body was moved three days later and placed in her office storeroom where it was found after her colleagues noticed a bad smell coming from the office and alerted police.
It is alleged Yende was romantically involved with Ngwenya and was planning on blowing the whistle on copper cable theft.
The bail hearing continued today (Tuesday).
