Judge orders psychiatric evaluation for dad ‘killer’

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A JUDGE has discontinued the trial of a Nkayi man who killed his 80-year-old father until his mental state was ascertained.

A JUDGE has discontinued the trial of a Nkayi man who killed his 80-year-old father until his mental state was ascertained.

Nokuthaba Dlamini Own correspondent Justice Lawrence Kamocha withdrew murder charges against Vusumuzi Ngwenya (35) of Manduwe village under Chief Mpumelelo.

“As a State we have agreed with your defence counsel that we withdraw murder charges against you because you don’t seem mentally stable,” the judge said.

“You will be examined by two doctors then we will take it from there.”

Prosecutor Memory Musaka told the court that on June 2 Harry Mdutshekelwa Ngwenya (now deceased) instructed Vusumuzi to clean a dirty shovel, which he had used while making a garden bed, but he refused saying his father must clean it himself if he thought it was dirty.

An argument erupted between the two, with the deceased threatening to kick Vusumuzi out of his homestead. At around 8pm, the whole family retired to bed leaving Vusumuzi in the kitchen hut eating.

The deceased’s wife, Lukani Ngwenya (74), went to relieve herself in the bush, leaving her husband asleep.

She returned minutes later and lit the lamp after she felt she had stepped on a body and she discovered that her 80-year-old husband was lying lifelessly in a pool of blood, with his head decapitated.

His son, who was standing next to the deceased’s body holding an axe, indicated that he had killed his father because of the shovel issue.

However, Ngwenya appeared to lose his senses when he stood in the dock, when facts were being laid to him. “Who was Harry Mdutshekelwa Ngwenya?” he was asked.

“We stayed together in Nkayi, but he was not my biological father,” he said.

“Mine was buried at the National Heroes’ Acre ages back.”

Vusumuzi was then told he was accused of killing someone.

“Yes I am aware that I axed someone, but it was not my father. My father was never killed, he was ill then died and was buried at the Heroes’ Acre,” he responded.

The accused was then asked if he could identify the woman who was weeping inconsolably in the courtroom, but he snapped back.

“I told you long back that the man I killed was not my father, my mother is lying that he was my father. I can’t even look at her right now,” he said.

“I am tired of the same questions, but since you are pushing me to admit that he was my father, I will follow that.”