Thobeka Hadebe, the murdered eThekwini College engineering student stabbed multiple times at her Umbumbulu home on February 26 2024, identified her attacker during her last moments.
This is according to the testimony of her father, Agrippa Hadebe, in the Durban high court on Tuesday.
Agrippa Hadebe, a teacher at Isipingo Beach Intermediate School, said on the day of the incident he had taken his younger daughter to school in Umlazi at about 6am. Thobeka, 19, had been left in the company of her mother.
“I did not know what Thobeka’s plans for the day were, but I know she would normally go to school to do team studying with her classmates. Other times she would study online. She would use public transport to travel.”
Mzomuhle Nelson Mkhize, 33, is charged with attempted rape and the murder of Thobeka.
Hadebe said once he had completed the school drop off he felt ill and had a headache. He later decided to phone the school asking the secretary to inform the principal he would not be coming to work.
“It was about 7.30am when I stopped on the side of the road in Amanzimtoti and took some capsules. After about 15 to 20 minutes I continued with the journey through the township of Ilovu.”
He then encountered his friend Jabulani Ndlovu. The two stopped and exchanged pleasantries.
Mkhize entered the house and allegedly accosted Thobeka in her bedroom before killing her. Despite her screams for help, Mkhize also allegedly forcefully removed her underwear and stabbed her in the upper body
— Indictment
“I had not seen Ndlovu for some time. I told him I was not working on the day and he told me he is working night shift. I also told him I had done renovations at my house after a fire,” he said.
Ndlovu accompanied Hadebe to his house where they would assess the renovations.
When they arrived Hadebe saw a neighbour and relative identified as Mr Mbambo who was standing in the yard holding a stick while other neighbours looked on. A garage door was open.
Hadebe spotted Mkhize running towards him but he disappeared in an unknown direction.
“I was shocked and left Ndlovu in the car. When I entered the house I saw my daughter lying in a pool of blood and badly injured.”
His daughter was wearing a dress which had been lifted up to her breasts and she was naked below.
Thobeka succumbed to her wounds while being transported to hospital.
A day after the incident, Ndlovu spotted sandals belonging to Mkhize on the veranda of his house.
He had known Mkhize, who lived three houses away, for more than 10 years. Mkhize was known as a “pothole filler” in the neighbourhood.
“I had no issues with him and would give him R2 to R5 when I had it. There was nothing which would associate me with him.”
Nothing was stolen from the house.
According to the indictment, Mkhize lived close to the Hadebe's home in the Bhekulwandle area of Umbumbulu. On the day, Thobeka and her mother were hanging clothes on the washing line when Mkhize passed by on foot and greeted them.
Shortly thereafter, her mother left to go to work. Once Mkhize noticed Thobeka's mother had left he allegedly armed himself with a knife and went to the house with the intention of forcing her to have sexual intercourse with him and then kill her.
Mkhize entered the house and allegedly accosted Thobeka in her bedroom before killing her. Despite her screams for help, Mkhize also allegedly forcefully removed her underwear and stabbed her in the upper body.
A postmortem report attributed her death to multiple stab wounds to the heart and chest.
The matter has been adjourned to May 12.
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