Court told 'axe man' delusional

Former Blue Bulls rugby player Joseph Phindile Ntshongwana is delusional, the Durban High Court heard on Wednesday.

Prof Abubuker Gangat told the court he had diagnosed Ntshongwana with delusional disorder after an examination last year.

Gangat said a person with the disorder could become violent, aggressive, suicidal, and suffer from hallucinations.

Ntshongwana believed people were out to get him, that he was being followed, and that someone wanted to harm him.

He appeared to be stressed by fears of being poisoned, harmed, or killed, Gangat said.

Ntshongwana is charged with hacking four people to death with an axe. He allegedly killed Thembelenkosini Cebekhulu in Montclair on March 20, 2011, Paulos Hlongwa two days later, Simon Ngidi the following day, and an unidentified man sometime that week.

He is accused of kidnapping and raping a woman on November 28, 2010 and faces a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

He has pleaded not guilty.

After examining Ntshongwana, Gangat found he could not accurately recall events, and had no appreciation of his mental illness.

The court heard that Ntshongwana was first diagnosed with a mental illness in 2009, and was treated as a psychotic patient.

Such a person had disturbed thinking and perception, and could experience delusions and hallucinations.

Psychotic people could become aggressive, they lacked insight, and could not distinguish between hallucinations and the real world.

Ntshongwana had visited various hospitals since 2009 for treatment for his mental illness.