Victim's, alleged killer's mothers in despair: Boyfriend charged with woman’s murder

Two mothers shed tears yesterday outside the Johannesburg High Court in the trial of Percy Khoza, who allegedly stabbed and killed his former girlfriend, Mary-Lee Macumbe.

One mother mourned her daughter, who was found stabbed to death and stuffed in the boot of her car, which was later dumped in Malvern.

The other wept for her son, who is behind bars and on trial for a crime she thinks he didn't commit.

Susan Langa-Macumbe said she had held high hopes for yesterday's court proceedings because she had seen a Facebook post by Khoza in which he promised to deliver his "confession statement" about the death of her daughter.

"When you read it, it says he is going to confess but at the end he says: 'I didn't kill her'," said Langa-Macumbe.

The post read: "On Monday I'll be doing a confession statement due to the case. Let's put this to the end." But no confession came.

• Mothers mourn in Mary-Lee Macumbe's murder trialTwo mothers on Monday shed tears outside court 4B of the South Gauteng High Court in the murder trial of Mary-Lee Macumbe.

Macumbe's mother said: "I really thought he was going to confess but in the end I could see he wasn't going to."

The frail woman choked on her words as she was comforted by a relative.

Sitting across from her was Macumbe's older brother, Aryton. He avoided eye contact with his weeping mother. The soft-spoken young man kept his eyes on his phone as his mother broke down.

All her family wants to know is who killed her and why.

Khoza, who was Macumbe's former boyfriend, was arrested for her murder in October 2014.

They had made plans to meet on the day of her murder , but when she didn't return home. Aryton called Khoza to ask about her whereabouts.

Khoza, however, claims it was his girlfriend and mother of his child Kgomotso Masemola, who did it.

He claimed she was in a fit of rage when she found Macumbe at his home in Troyeville.

She stabbed her and threatened to kill his daughter and mother if he didn't help her cover up the crime, he alleged.

Khoza said the two of them wrapped Macumbe's body in a carpet, cleaned the floor and walls and burnt the bloodied clothes.

He said the next day a friend helped him load the body into the boot of her vehicle, which they drove around until it ran out of fuel and then they dumped it.

Khoza's mother, Nozipho Khoza, said her son was not responsible for Macumbe's death.

"Whoever did this thing was very angry. Percy even cried when he saw the pictures when he was on the stand," the woman said.

She said she sympathised with Macumbe's mother.

"I know how she feels but unfortunately I cannot undo it," Khoza said, bursting into tears.

"Now I have also lost Percy."

Asked why her son wanted to come clean with his "confession", Khoza said: "What upset him was that he was covering up for Kgomotso but she wasn't even visiting him in prison and it later turned out she is a state witness."

Masemola was arrested but released after questioning.