A former policeman who previously saw murder charges against him dropped will soon have to stand in the dock again. This time, he is expected to defend himself against allegations that he had shot and killed his landlord's son after being reprimanded for playing music too loudly.
Former police sergeant Nditsheni Lefty Mphephu was arrested on 21 November 2023 in Vuwani. His arrest relates to an incident a day earlier at Makwarela.
The 44-year-old Mphephu, who was attached to the POPS in Thohoyandou, allegedly shot Mr Teith Muthige several times in the stomach and upper body, following an altercation over loud music the police officer was playing in his car while students were studying for their final examinations.
After the shooting, Mphephu allegedly fled to his home village in Vuwani. When he first appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court, he was charged with attempted murder and was remanded in custody. The charge was later changed to murder after Muthige had died from his injuries.
Mphephu spent seven months in jail awaiting trial. He was released on bail on 8 July 2024, with strict conditions, and bail was set at R20,000.
When Mphephu appeared in court on 5 October last year, the magistrate ruled that the case be struck off the roll because of the unavailability of ballistic test results. His freedom, however, was short-lived. He appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court again on Friday, 6 June. His case was postponed to 9 June at the Thohoyandou High Court sitting at Waterval.
When he appeared in the High Court on Monday, the case was postponed to 12 June to give the defence time to peruse the docket.
When the case was struck off the roll last year, the local community was left stunned and in disbelief. One of the concerned residents who spoke out was community activist Mr Tovho Seemise, who described the decision to withdraw the charges as a miscarriage of justice. On Monday, he was in court and a happy man again.
"As a community, we feel much more hopeful as matters stand now. When the case was struck off the roll last year, we felt let down by the justice system. Now that the case is back on the roll, we will wait for the wheels of justice to turn at its own pace. Even if it is slow, we know that the day will finally come," he said.
He added that the local community would continue to support the family of the victim. "We are also happy that the parents of the murdered man are full of hope that justice will finally prevail," he said.