Exactly a month before Phumeza Mnyamazeli's gruesome mutilation during a religious ritual at her home in Evaton, her daughter Buhle was “initiated” into an organisation — a move that would change the course of their entire family's life.
The 24-year-old claimed in her plea explanation that she joined the Freemason order on June 10 and spent a considerable amount of time participating in rituals in the lead up to the horrific murder.
The day of Mnyamazeli's murder in July 10 last year, Buhle, her brother Tumelo, 26, and their father Charity Ntla, 61, said they were not “in their sober senses” when they allegedly took knives and cutlery from the kitchen and stabbed and mutilated the 42-year-old's body at Buhle's behest.
Police were called to the scene by the father and were told by the three that the victim was demon-possessed and they were performing an exorcism on her.
Now over a year later, the three appeared in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court where their murder trial got under way.
All three remain behind bars after abandoning their bail bid shortly after the incident in July last year.
The trial, which was meant to start on Monday and was set down for two weeks, finally got under way on Tuesday. The siblings' maternal grandmother was in court to support the duo and could be seen greeting her grandchildren before proceedings started. Buhle, clad in a beige long-sleeved top and black pants, and Tumelo, sporting a green jersey, could be seen whispering to one another before the trial began.
Proceedings kicked off with the state confirming it was charging the two siblings and their father with murder. If convicted, the trio faces life behind bars.
The state, led by advocate Pieter Luyt, claimed in its indictment that the three “joined spiritual practices with various rituals that needed to be practised”.
“On July 10 2023, as they were performing those rituals, Buhle was the one ordering all the people on what needed to be done while they were praying. [She] then ordered that the deceased be pinned down as they were in a prayer session [and] then went further to order that the deceased should be stabbed and cut,” Luyt argued.
According to the state, all three took part in stabbing and cutting Mnyamazeli “using kitchen knives and cutlery”.
A day later, Ntla went to the police station “covered with blood” to report the incident. He also explained his involvement and was arrested, according to the state.
Mnyamazeli died as a result of “penetrating incised wounds” according to the post mortem report and all three relatives pleaded not guilty to the offence, offering similar plea explanations to the court.
Buhle revealed that she had been initiated into and became a member of the Freemason order on June 10 2023.
“On the day of the incident, she ... felt like she was falling into a trance and she felt a complete takeover of the mind and body. That feeling compelled her to speak and commit certain actions which were not of her natural desire or inclination,” she said in a plea explanation read by her lawyer.
On July 10 2023, as they were performing those rituals, Buhle was the one ordering all the people on what needed to be done while they were praying. [She] then ordered that the deceased be pinned down as they were in a prayer session [and] then went further to order that the deceased should be stabbed and cut.
— Pieter Luyt, advocate
“When this incident occurred, she was not in her sober sense.”
Buhle told the court she had a good relationship with her family before the incident and that there “was no motive” or plan to murder her mother.
Tumelo offered a similar explanation, confirming his sister's initiation into the organisation but denying any involvement with the order.
He also revealed that from the day of Buhle's initiation until their mother's death, the family would pray on a regular basis. He too told the court that on that fateful day he was not “in his sober senses”.
“According to him, during the session of prayer and healing something took over him and he was not in control,” his lawyer said in his plea explanation.
Tumelo also claimed he never set out to commit the murder and said that he loved his mother and had a good relationship with her.
Ntla, on his part, mostly corroborated the version offered by his children but offered more details on the events leading up to the incident.
“On the day of the incident, the deceased made breakfast for them. Then Buhle started experiencing certain feelings and [exhibiting] certain movements. She then ordered Tumelo to take down the prayer scroll and after removing it, they all felt a certain feeling.
“It happened as if it was a dream, he was frozen and was not in his sound and sober senses,” he said through his legal representative.
Ntla also claimed he had no intention or motive to kill his wife.
Luyt, based on these submissions, then requested a postponement for all three to be sent for psychological evaluation. While he confirmed that there had been a previous report compiled on the trio's mental state, this had recommended they be sent for “psychological assessment”.
“It's not fair to go ahead with the trial before we know whether they were able to know what they were doing and whether they appreciate what they were doing,” he said.
While the defence initially tried to argue that they had come prepared for trial, after admitting that they too had thought of bringing the same application, they raised no objections to Luyt's request.
Acting judge Johanna Leso agreed to the postponement, adjourning the matter to September 11 to “obtain a report on the mental state of the accused”.
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