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Suspect made 'false statements'

Vusi Ndlovu

Vusi Ndlovu

Stephen Nkgadime, accused of killing his seven-month-pregnant girlfriend and claiming she died when they were hijacked, also shot himself in the hand to support the false statement he made, police said.

Investigating officer Thembinkosi Mdlalose told the Johannesburg magistrate's court during Nkgadime's bail application yesterday that Nkgadime had lied about everything concerning the incident.

The lies, Mdlalose said, included the addresses he supplied, the telephone calls he made after the incident and the injuries he claimed they sustained when the couple were allegedly hijacked.

Nkgadime is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Mpho Kgaje, on July 16 last year. He said he was injured when he tried to grab a firearm from one of their attackers.

Mdlalose said Nkgadime told police he had received a call from Kgaje at about 6.30pm on the day of the incident.

He told police Kgaje had telephoned to speak to him about pregnancy complications. But during investigations, the police established that he had driven to her place to confront her about SMSes she had been sending him.

"Also, two policemen from Yeoville had witnessed the two arguing, though they could not hear what they were arguing about. Kgaje told her family that Nkgadime had suggested that they go and talk about their problem somewhere else. Kgaje's aunt, Ida, stood on the veranda. She saw them leave and there was no hijacking and no shot was fired," he said.

Mdlalose said he was called to a scene in Crown Gardens, south of Johannesburg, where the body of a woman had been found. He realised that the grass on her stomach was not similar to that in the park.

"The grass on her stomach was dry and mixed with tree leaves, and the grass at the park was the type of grass that you would find in parks or homes. This suggested that she had been dumped there after she had been shot," he said.

Mdlalose said that the times Nkgadime said he had made calls to Kgaje before and after the incident did not correspond with the records he received from the cellphone company.

The matter was postponed to February 4.

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