Relatives of Dolly Tshabalala alleged to have been fatally stabbed by former Jozi FM DJ Donald Sebolai wept silently in the High Court in Palm Ridge on Monday as the DJ's judgment was delivered.
Tshabalala's mother was among other relatives who sat in the third row of the packed court gallery, blowing her nose as she was comforted by another woman next to her.
The family listened as Judge Cassim Moosa went through the evidence presented to the court during the trial.
Sebolai faced three counts, namely murder, theft of Tshabalala's vehicle and defeating the ends of justice.
Dressed in a suit, he sat upright in the dock, listening to the judgment.
Going through his evidence, Moosa said Sebolai had not provided any evidence proving that Tshabalala was killed in self-defence.
Blood stains
Moosa said a police photographer had testified that when he arrived at Sebolai's flat, he found the crime scene had been thoroughly cleaned but traces of blood stains were found on the floor, carpet and the fridge.
A blood stained mop was found behind the door of Sebolai's house. His bloody clothes and a mat were found in the washing machine while his blood-soaked pants were found dumped in a dustbin outside the house.
Meanwhile, Tshabalala's bloody pyjama pants and gown were found in the vehicle which Sebolai was alleged to have dumped.
Tshabalala, a married mother of one, was found dead in Sebolai's flat in Soweto in June last year.
She had bled to death after sustaining a single stab wound to the pelvic area.
Sebolai, who was Tshabalala's lover, was arrested after nine days on the run, having allegedly fled in Tshabalala's vehicle before abandoning it in an open area.
‘Not guilty’
The former gospel show host, who has fathered three children with three different women, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He alleged that Tshabalala was injured as the pair struggled over a knife which she had used to stab him in the hands, after accusing him of cheating.
The couple had just returned home from a night of drinking when they apparently got into a heated argument which turned deadly.
Sebolai told the court he helped Tshabalala onto the bed as he cleaned the bloodied flat. He said he had not foreseen that she could have died from her injury.
During the trial, the court also heard about the couple's relationship, which allegedly also involved threesomes with Tshabalala's best friend.
Sebolai, who used to speak out against women and children abuse on his radio show, told the court that Tshabalala was a jealous lover who did not like his fans approaching him.
He admitted to smacking her around a few times "to get her in line" but denied killing her.
The judgment continues.
Source: News24
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