Durban — Technology was what led to breakthroughs in the investigation into the kidnapping and murder of a Transnet engineer allegedly killed by two hitmen – one of them his brother-in-law, who was hired by his wife.
This was the observation made by Acting Judge Bonke Dumisa who began reading his judgment on Thursday in the Durban High Court.
On September 29, 2020, Nkosi Timmy Langa was allegedly forced into his Isuzu X-Rider at his home near Hampshire Place in Pinetown and taken to a forest in Ozwathini by his brother-in-law Nkosinathi Steve Zungu and James Mashudu “Ramaphosa” Mthimkhulu.
Police investigations led to Mthimkhulu’s arrest after the recovery of Langa’s car.
Mthimkhulu, who is serving time for his part in the murder, turned State witness.
He said he and Zungu had killed Langa at the behest of his wife, accused Nomphumelelo Patricia Goncalves, a nurse at Isipingo Hospital at the time of the alleged murder.
On Friday (today), Judge Dumisa is expected to continue reading his judgment.
On Thursday, the judge went through the evidence presented to the court during the trial.
This included that of witnesses, among them three police officers; Mthimkhulu; Langa’s sister Zodwa; Langa’s friend Bongani Sithole; and a man who testified on how and where Langa’s car tracker was removed.
“What we are going to see through this judgment is how advanced technology helped in making breakthroughs in this case. We have four different experts whose testimony was on evidence based on technology,” said Judge Dumisa.
Goncalves and Zungu are charged with kidnapping, murder, and robbery with aggravating circumstances. The nurse faces an additional charge of defeating the ends of justice.
“The State alleges that at all material time, the accused (Goncalves) was aware that statements she made about the stolen car and missing person’s report were false, hence, she is charged with defeating the ends of justice,” Judge Dumisa said. It was after the missing person’s report that police were able to establish that Langa’s car was fitted with a tracker.
It was through that device that the last location of the car was identified. The investigation led police to the Isuzu, which had been parked in Dalton, Mngungundlovu district, in October 2023.
A temporary ID belonging to Phiwayinkosi Mbedu was found in Langa’s car. Law enforcement tracked him down but was unable to arrest him without opening a case of motor vehicle theft.
When Goncalves was alerted that her husband’s car had been found, she was asked if she knew Mbedu. She denied knowing him, and, as such, the motor vehicle theft case was opened.
From Mbedu, who became a section 204 witness in the trial, police learnt that Mthimkhulu and Zungu, along with two others, had been trying to sell the car. One of the men had told Mbedu how the owner of the car had been murdered and the body disposed of.
Mthimkhulu was arrested shortly afterwards. He led police to a dense forest in Ozwathini where Langa’s body lay and where he had been killed.
Evidence heard was that the police Search and Rescue Unit had walked for several kilometres in the forest before they came across Langa’s decomposed body on November 13, 2020.
Evidence during the trial was that Goncalves had called the men moments before her husband was killed, to find out how far they were with the job.
During Mthimkhulu’s cross-examination, Goncalves’s defence counsel said his client did not dispute the calls but did deny that they were related to the commission of the murder.
Judge Dumisa noted that at the end of his testimony, Mthimkhulu had apologised to Langa’s family for the hurt he had caused them.
“Mthimkhulu showed the court that he was remorseful,” he said.
The judgment continues on Friday (today).
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