One of the three accused in the Rhodes Park rape and murder trial was back in the dock on Monday after he was discharged from hospital, but his illness remained a mystery.
Last week the High Court sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court postponed the matter after Admore Ndlovu, 23, complained of chest pains that he said were making it difficult for him to breath.
The mystery illness that has not yet been diagnosed landed Ndlovu in the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. His lawyer, Robert Xaba told the court last Monday that his client was experiencing breathing difficulties.
Xaba told the court that Ndlovu has consulted with medical staff at Johannesburg Central prison and tests had been done, but the results were not yet out.
On Monday the prosecutor Monde Mbaqa said the state will find out from the doctor treating Ndlovu what he is suffering from.
In the dock Ndlovu looked as if he had lost weight since his previous appearance.
Looking frail, Ndlovu who was discharged from hospital on Friday, and his co-accused Thabo Nkala, 25, and Mduduzi Mathibela Lawrence, 32, entered the court with leg irons.
The trio were allegedly part of a 12-man gang that attacked two couples in the Rhodes Park in October 2015. The gang forced the husbands into the nearby lake where they were drowned and the two women were sexually assaulted and raped.
The three suspects appeared attentive as four witnesses – among them three police officers – testified.
Neon Fernandez, who lives in the area, told the court that there was CCTV footage, which recorded the incident as it happened on that fateful day.
The trio face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, rape, and murder. They have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The trial will continue on Tuesday.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
