Sangoma allegedly hired to make Thembisile Yende's killers 'invisible'

David Ngwenya allegedly enlisted a sangoma to ensure that he and his accomplices were "invisible" when they murdered Thembisile Yende.

"One of the suspects is a family member of the sangoma," Investigating officer Lieutenant-Colonel Christo Lotz yesterday told the Springs Magistrate's Court.

Ngwenya, an Eskom technician, is accused of murdering Yende, also an Eskom employee.

The court heard that Ngwenya had been seeing Yende for more than a year and was a frequent visitor at the Pieterboth substation, in Springs, on the East Rand, at which she worked.

Outside court, Yende's mother, Nesta, said she had known little of the way in which her daughter had met her death.

"What pains me is that she was hit with an iron rod," said Nesta. "Nobody told me that before. The only evidence I saw of how my daughter died was her body in the mortuary.

"I say no bail for murderers."

Lotz said Ngwenya was pointed out during an identity parade by a witness who has since fled to Soweto fearing for his life.

"There were nine people lined up for the parade and only Ngwenya was positively identified The witness was very sure [of] him."

Ngwenya's lawyer, Francois Roets, said: "The state's evidence relies on a sangoma, who claims he can make people invisible. The state had enough time to go back to the witness and ask him if he was paid to make people invisible."

The court heard that Yende had made several complaints against Ngwenya.

In opposing bail, prosecutor Abrie Classen said more evidence had to be collected.

"Yende's mother told me that Ngwenya fought with Yende several times," he said.

Roets said it was normal for people involved in a relationship to argue or fight occasionally.

He said Ngwenya was found in possession of several keys, including one to the storeroom in which Yende's body was found.

The police are looking for men known as Mpho and Mkhize in connection with Yende's death.

"[Ngwenya] was told that [Yende] was going to spill the beans. She was then strangled and hit with a blunt object in her head," he said.

Magistrate Cornell Pretorius postponed the bail hearing to tomorrow.