South Africa: Accused ‘consulting a healer’

Original Post Date: 2010-02-24 Time: 23:00:02  Posted By: News Poster

By Slindile Maluleka

The man accused of murdering advertising boss Richard Cassels failed to turn up for his trial because he was ill and had travelled to Empangeni to consult a traditional healer, the Durban High Court heard on Tuesday.

Mpumelelo Shangase, 26, could not get back in time for the trial that had been due to start on Monday, because he was performing various traditional cleansing ceremonies after experiencing health problems, said his advocate, Cheryl Lawrence.

She said he had consulted the traditional healer on Saturday and the ritual was to be completed by Sunday, but took longer than expected.

He could not inform anyone of the delay because the area he was in apparently had no cellphone coverage.
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Shangase later contacted his brother, Kwanda Shangase – a state witness in the case.

“Shangase (accused) told his brother he would return on Monday morning and he was aware the trial was to start on that day.

“Shangase failed to get a medical certificate from the traditional healer because he did not have a stamp to indicate being accredited,” said Lawrence.

Members of the Cassels family waited with the packed public gallery to hear whether Shangase’s R5 000 bail would be forfeited.

According to Lawrence, the area where the accused had gone to see a traditional healer was rural, and if Shangase had wanted to evade justice, he’d had sufficient time to do so.

In his testimony, investigating officer Jabulani Zulu said he had made contact with Shangase on Friday to remind him to appear in court on Monday.

State prosecutor Nomfundo Sipunzi said: “If the accused is released on bail again, he could undermine the justice system.”

When she asked Zulu if he thought the accused should get a bail extension, Zulu replied that he “does not trust the accused anymore”.

He added: “There is a possibility he could do this again. I cannot even say whether he was sick or not.”

Cassels’s adopted son, Eric Sukude, 20, told the court what had transpired that fateful evening as he, his father Richard and brother Justin were cooking in their Westville home.

“We were cooking in the kitchen when a man carrying a handgun walked in the front door.

“Richard tried to fight him off and told us to run,” he said.

Cassels, 51, who was the managing director of advertising agency TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris in Durban, was stabbed in April last year, allegedly by co-accused Jabulani Maphumulo, Shangase and three others.

Judge Ronald McLaren said Shangase’s bail would not be forfeited and adjourned the trial, which was set to continue on Wednesday.