A chilling confession has emerged in the case of Mlamuli Qaba, a 43-year-old father of five, who stands accused of the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Zama Girlie Mthembu.
Qaba, in a plea statement read out in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Friday, admitted to stabbing Mthembu 25 times on Reconciliation Day, 2023.
The details of the attack, as revealed in Qaba's statement, are particularly disturbing. He described a heated argument with Mthembu and two other men at her shack in the Kenville informal settlement.
During the altercation, Qaba claimed he was pushed to the ground. He stated that he was confronted by the two men after he argued with Mthembu, and one of them even pointed a finger at him, reprimanding him for speaking harshly to her.
Fueled by anger, Qaba returned to his own shack, retrieved a knife, and confronted Mthembu.
"My intention was to go and confront this male about what had happened between us," Qaba said in his statement.
"While in my home, I saw Girlie walk past and I followed her. Once we were inside, she saw the knife and tried to reach for it. We struggled and I overpowered her, pushing her on to the floor. I pulled out the knife from my waist and began stabbing her on her chest and other parts of her body."
Qaba's lawyer, Ashilka Ramdularay, read out the statement, emphasizing that while Qaba was intoxicated at the time of the murder, he was aware of his actions.
After Mthembu became motionless, Qaba fled to his home in the Eastern Cape, only to be apprehended by police nearly three weeks later. His arrest, however, was far from ordinary. Qaba was found topless, with the murder weapon in his possession, during a ritual at the house of a traditional healer.
The State prosecutor, Tiyani Mabasa, requested a postponement of the sentencing hearing to next month to allow for victim impact statements from Mthembu's family, particularly her children.
"We will need a social worker’s report focusing on, but not limited to, all the affected children. They normally need about six weeks for this," said Magistrate Sharon Marks.
The court also acknowledged that Qaba faces a minimum prescribed sentence for murder under the amended Domestic Violence Act, with limited room for deviation unless substantial and compelling circumstances exist.
The State's evidence revealed that Qaba and Mthembu had a tumultuous relationship, with Mthembu having obtained a protection order against him.
