The murder trial of social-media personality Livhuwani "SABC Livhu" Madadzhe was postponed to Monday, 14 April, after gripping testimony left the courtroom stunned.
Madadzhe is accused of murdering his partner and the mother of his two children, Lindelani Nengovhela, two years ago. The trial is currently being heard in the Thohoyandou High Court, sitting at the Waterval Magistrate's Court.
A retired police officer, Lt-Col Avhatakali Tshifularo, took the stand and made a startling claim: Madadzhe had allegedly contacted a funeral parlour to collect Lindelani's body before informing her family or the police.
Tshifularo added that the body had had scratch marks on the throat, suggesting possible strangulation, and noted that her stomach was flat, which in his experience meant she had not drowned in the pit latrine where she had been found.
Tshifularo further revealed that Madadzhe had made several calls to Mr Randitsheni from NRand Mortuary, asking him to collect the body.
Under cross-examination by Adv Ntsako Hlungwane, Tshifularo did not hold back: "I suspect that he had a hand in this woman's death. That is why we are here in a high court today and not in a small court," he said.
But Hlungwane quickly hit back: "Your suspicion doesn't hold much water because the accused person did not take part in the killing." He also stated that when Madadzhe were to testify, he would deny contacting the mortuary before the police or family.
Judge Thogomelani Tshidada expressed frustration at the confusion surrounding the timeline.
"If I don't clarify this, I'll be lost when I have to write a judgment. I need to understand what happened first – he has to take me through this entire story," he said, referring to inconsistencies in the defence's statements.
It also came to light that Madadzhe had never tried to contact Lindelani to ask about her whereabouts before reporting her missing – another detail that casts doubt on his account.
The trial will resume on Monday.