Dudu Busani

Dudu Busani

The man who killed Soweto lawyer Isaac Ramotsela told the Johannesburg high court on Friday that it was okay for him to be with another woman, but wrong for the mother of his two children to have a lover.

Nkosinathi Zungu and co-accused Tshepo Sonai are on trial for the murder of Ramotsela and the attempted murder of Fundi Ganda, Zungu's ex-girlfriend.

Zungu said he shot Ramotsela and Ganda with an R-5 rifle early this year because they were lovers and their relationship was negatively affecting his children.

During cross-examination on Friday, Zungu admitted to having a relationship with Busisiwe Mateza for almost a year before the shooting.

When state prosecutor Arveena Persad asked Zungu why he thought Ganda's relationship with Ramotsela was wrong, when he himself had another girlfriend, he said: "We are talking about the mother of my children here and, besides, Fundi was the one who drove me into having a relationship with Busisiwe because she wasn't faithful. I had to satisfy my other needs as a man."

Though Ganda earlier testified that she had ended her relationship with Zungu late last year, he claimed he was not aware that they were no longer a couple.

Ganda said Zungu had been physically abusive, jealous and treated her as his property and had threatened to kill her before - and another man she was involved with after their break-up

Zungu maintains he never meant to kill anyone; he only shot the couple because he wanted to paralyse them to make them stop seeing each other.