A PREGNANT teenager allegedly killed by her boyfriend was strangled by hand, the high court in Pretoria heard yesterday.
Zanele Khumalo was 18 years old and five months pregnant when she was raped and strangled at her parents' home in Garsfontein, Pretoria, in April 2011. Thato Kutumela, 26, is on trial for the crimes.
Forensic pathologist Lorraine Du Toit-Prinsloo said the cause of death was manual strangulation. She said Zanele did not have injuries to her private parts but it was possible to be raped and show no injuries when one is sexually active.
Zanele's father, Themba Khumalo, earlier told the court that when he returned from work that day his daughter was dead.
Khumalo said he and her mother opened one of her eyes and checked for breathing but found no signs of life. They rushed her to hospital.
Neighbours testified that they saw Zanele with a man at her house a few hours before she died.
Kutumela has denied that he had anything to with his girlfriend's death.
The trial continues.