Thirty-five-year-old Mashudu Bele from Mudzidzidzi village, who is accused of murder, kidnapping, and rape, has retained the services of renowned local lawyer Adv Ntsako Hlungwane to represent him in court. This information came to light when Bele appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 21 June.
Allegedly operating as an illegal taxi driver (e-hailer) in and around Thohoyandou, Bele is accused of promoting his fraudulent taxi business on social media platforms. Interested individuals would contact him to request rides to their destinations.
On the evening of 6 March this year, Fhatuwani Asnath Nguluvhe (34) disappeared from Thavhani Mall after finishing work around 20:30. Despite her family's efforts to locate her, she remained missing.
On 22 March, Bele was arrested in Tshikweta village in connection with her disappearance. At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly in possession of Nguluvhe's bank cards. Following police interrogations, Bele directed them to where he had discarded her remains along the R524 Punda Maria road, near Maniini village. By that point, her body had significantly decomposed.
Shortly after Bele's initial court appearance, another woman came forward, stating that he had abducted her and sexually assaulted her multiple times. Initially, she could not identify him as she did not know who he was. However, upon hearing that a suspect had been apprehended for murdering a woman in the same area where she was assaulted, she went to court to determine if the individual was the same one. She positively identified Bele and promptly accompanied a community leader to the police station to file a case against him. The woman claimed that Bele had also stolen R300 in cash, a cellphone, shoes, and other belongings from her room.
During his first court appearance, Bele expressed his intention to represent himself, but he has now enlisted the services of Advocate Hlungwane. With Hlungwane's expertise, Bele has applied for bail, and the hearing is scheduled for 10 July.