The trial of William Manku and his co-accused, David Khoza, started on Monday, 10 February in the Polokwane Magistrates Court. Photo by Kgalalelo Tlhoaele
THE first day of the trial for William Manku and David Khoza appeared in the Polokwane High Court on Monday, 10 February.
William Manku (53), the father of Skeem Saam actress Amanda Manku, and his co-accused were arrested in January 2024 for the murders of his mother-in-law, Lettie Maphothoma and wife Gladys Manku
The two men face charges related to the brutal killings that took place on 4 May 2021.
Four witnesses took the stand and were cross-examined about the tragic events of that day. The courtroom atmosphere was tense as the victims’ families and the public anxiously awaited justice for the two women whose lives were taken too soon.
The first witness called was a police officer who attended the scene on the day of the shooting. She claimed that she found the two bodies on the ground.
“On their arrival, we went close to the bodies to check where the gun wounds were. The first one shown to us was Lettie Maphothoma, and she had a gun wound on her chest, stomach, and her left leg. The second one was Gladys, and when we got closer, we discovered that she was shot on the back of her head, chest, and stomach,” she said.
The second witness, aged 48, said Lettie was his aunt, and he was at home when the incident happened.
He said he heard about six gunshots but didn’t clearly hear the rest.
“While I was sitting there, I heard gunshots. And then I sat and did nothing and told myself they are just gunshots. After some time, my cousin called and said it was his sister and mother. He said while on his way, people came with firearms, they shot, and he ran away,” he explained.
He said he went out and headed to his aunt’s home.
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“While I was on my way, I found my aunt lying next to a fence and I called to Oupa because it was only my aunt there and Gladys wasn’t there,” he said.
The third witness spoke about selling a car to David Khoza, which was described at the scene.
In 2019, David Khoza called him and asked to buy his car.
The witness said he sold the car to him the same day for R20 000 and gave him the keys and car documents.
He asked David to change the car’s ownership, but it never happened because he received a traffic fine of R800.
“David never changed the names, and in 2020 I received a traffic ticket. I called him and told him that there was a traffic summon with a fine of R800 and something,” he said.
After that, he couldn’t reach David because the numbers he had didn’t work.
“In 2023, I was stopped at a roadblock, and I requested the officers to check if the car was still in my names, and then I discovered it was still under my names,” he added.
The fourth witness was Lettie’s son, who explained what happened on the day of the incident.
He said on 4 May, two men claiming to be Mozambicans fixing wheelbarrows came looking for his mom.
“They knocked at the back door, and I answered, and they asked where my mom was, and I said she went to get water. They then asked me to call her, and I did. When I called my mom, she said she doesn’t know those people.
“They said that they were looking for her because of a wheelbarrow, then I asked them to leave their number because it was late at night,” he said.
The court was postponed to Tuesday, 11 February and will continue with the fourth witness on the stand.
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