Kirsten Kluyts’ last morning described in court

20 December 2023 - 13:48
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Johannesburg schoolteacher Kirsten Kluyts was murdered on October 29 during a MyRun event.
Johannesburg schoolteacher Kirsten Kluyts was murdered on October 29 during a MyRun event.
Image: Vuleka SSB High School via Facebook

The minutes before Kirsten Kluyts was murdered and stripped naked were detailed in the Alexandra regional court in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Ayanda Bakana presented two affidavits before closing arguments, one from investigating officer Sgt Aubrey Tshisani and another from security company 24/7 GM Grant Moulder, on the last day of Bafana Mahungela's bail application.

Mahungela, 21, was arrested nearly a month after the murder of the schoolteacher at the Sandton Sports Club.

Kluyts' body was found on a path near the sports club when people searched for her after she failed to finish the run. The 34-year-old was a teacher at Delta Park High School and was killed during a MyRun event on October 29.

She was 14-weeks pregnant at the time.

Mahungela, a Varsity College student, is charged with premeditated murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and rape.

The state is opposing bail.

Tshisani, in his affidavit, said he was assigned to investigate the case as he was on standby for serious and violent crime investigations.

Video footage from the entrance of George Lea Park showed Kluyts heading to the park at 8.04am. The timekeeper had taken an image of her at 8.05am. This is the same image presented during Mahungela's bail application which showed a smiling Kluyts in a light blue shirt, cap and sunglasses.

He said Kluyts' cellphone was discovered at 8.15am by a witness and handed to the MyRun event timekeeper.

Kirsten Kluyts was walking during the MyRun event as she was 14-weeks pregnant.
Kirsten Kluyts was walking during the MyRun event as she was 14-weeks pregnant.
Image: Supplied

“After everyone finished their laps it was discovered one lady [Kluyts] did not complete her laps and they started to look for this lady,” he said.

“They went back to where the phone was found and searched and the body of the lady was found by the bushes.” She had been stripped naked.

Tshisani said he also received video footage from the neighbouring Sandhurst Preparatory School.

Moulder's affidavit focused mainly on the footage obtained by 24/7 after the company was alerted to the incident.

He corroborated most of what Tshisani submitted in his affidavit, but said a fellow runner picked up Kluyts' cellphone at 8.18am.

He relied on footage from Sandhurst, the park and nearby houses.

That footage captured Mahungela leaving the same area where the body was found at 8.49am. He was wearing a blue shirt and carrying “something black” in his left hand.

On November 13, Moulder said he “obtained and downloaded footage ... and on real time, it is estimated that at 8.52am a person [is seen] wearing a blue shirt and carrying items which were thrown over the gate before he jumped over the gate”.

Moulder said he was able to get more footage, which provided more clarity on Mahungela's movements at the park and from the scene, as well as when he disposed of Kluyts' clothes. 

The defence objected to the references about the video footage as it was not used during the bail application. 

Advocate Itumeleng Masako asked the court for information based on the contentious footage be “expunged”.

The matter continues.

TimesLIVE


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.