Bail proceedings for eThekwini metro police officer Qiniso Sishi, who is charged with fatally stabbing his wife Thandokuhle Mkhize, failed to get under way in the Durban magistrate's court on Monday.
Sishi's lawyer Musawenkosi Mkhize told the court, packed with family, friends and political party representatives, he was not able to fully consult his client at the Westville correctional facility.
Thandokuhle Mkhize, a lawyer, was stabbed multiple times in the early hours of July 28 at their home in Woodlands, south of Durban.
“I had an appointment on Friday to consult my client at Westville and when I got to the prison I was made to wait for two-and-a-half hours,” said Musawenkosi Mkhize.
During the wait he was informed Sishi was in the medical wing of the prison where he was being treated for injuries sustained during the incident on July 28.
“After some time I was told he could not be located — no-one knew where he was. This [is the] reason the defence is not in a position to continue with the bail application. I require ample time to take instructions, otherwise I would not be doing justice with this bail [application].”
When magistrate Ashwin Singh adjourned the matter, Sishi was all smiles, much to the chagrin of Thandokuhle Mkhize's daughter Aphiwe Mkhize, who shouted to him “sengathi ungafela phakathi” (may you rot in jail).
Outside the court, the visibly distraught Aphiwe, 18, said:” I am scared and hurt, he [Sishi] is able to smile and breathe while my mother is dead”.
The teenager is part of a group objecting to bail for Sishi.
“I want my mum to see justice. It hurt me to see the accused smiling as if my mother was nothing and penniless. My mother meant a lot to me; she was a provider and a lawyer who fought for justice for people.”
MK Party secretary-general Bongani Mncwango condemned Sishi, saying his alleged actions were at odds with the job he did for a living.
“He has [allegedly] done the worst that can [be] imagined and he laughs and that is unacceptable.”
He called on the government to step in to end violence against women.
The matter was adjourned to August 18 for a formal bail application.
TimesLIVE
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