The ongoing bail application of Bafana Mahungela, accused in the high-profile murder of Johannesburg teacher Kirsten Kluyts, continued on Monday. with his alibi was under the spotlight.
Bafana Mahungela makes shocking claims about Kirsten Kluyts murder
PLEASE NOTE: The third-party content below is shared on our platform for journalistic purposes. Swisher Post, its parent company, partners and affiliates shall not be held liable for any consequence that arises from the journalistic duties performed in sharing this content.
Mahungela, a 21-year-old student, returned to the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court, facing charges of premeditated murder, rape, and robbery, in a bid to get conditional release.
Thus far, court proceedings have been marred by contentious debates over Mahungela’s alibi and actions on the day of Kluyts’ murder.
The state, ramping up the seriousness of the charges, updated the charge sheet to a Schedule 6 offence, indicating that Mahungela may have plotted Kluyts’s murder.
Surveillance video footage from the day of the murder became a pivotal piece of evidence, with the prosecution alleging Mahungela was seen following Kluyts before both disappeared down an embankment at George Lee Park, where the teacher was participating in a local running race.
Further complicating the case is Mahungela’s own testimony, where he admitted to encountering Kluyts’ body at George Lea Park and removing her clothes.
His reasoning, as stated in court, was a fear of being implicated due to his fingerprints and DNA on the victim.
“I didn’t want to be involved because I know [the scourge] of gender-based violence in the country. I know gender-based violence is a big thing in the country, so I didn’t want to be involved,” he said, explaining his decision to remove Kluyts’ clothes.
The details of the murder, as presented in court, paint a harrowing picture. The post-mortem results revealed that Kluyts suffered blunt force trauma, strangulation, and pressure to the neck.
When found, her body was naked on the side of an embankment. The prosecution’s narrative positions Mahungela not only as the murderer but also implicates him in robbery and rape charges that he has denied.
When this article was published, court proceedings had adjourned for tea.
