Ntwaagae Seleka

Ntwaagae Seleka

Two state witnesses yesterday shocked a packed Vereeniging circuit court when they told how their friend confessed to them that he had taken part in the mutilation and killing of Moses Nkhabu.

Jeremiah Phakwane and Jabulane Radebe both said Molefi Mokganedi, 27, described the gory details of how he murdered Nkhabu to them on June 17 2006.

Phakwane said he was with Radebe when Mokganedi told them that he had killed Nkhabu because he had swallowed money.

"He said he used to a knife to kill Nkhabu and that he had also cut off his manhood," Phakwane said.

Radebe said he was asleep in his house when he was awoken by a man who came by to tell his brother that there was a man's body in the street.

"I went to check and saw Nkhabu's private parts next to his corpse, covered with a cardboard box," Radebe said.

Another witness, Steve Tshabalala, said on June 17 2006 he was asleep when he heard a bottle break in his yard.

Tshabalala said: "I switched on the outside light and went out to see what was happening.

"I saw Mokganedi dragging Nkhabu (who was still alive) across the ground."

Tshabalala said he told Nkhabu to stop what he was doing.

He said he had threatened to tell Nkhabu's mother what he had seen him do.

Tshabalala said when he woke up later he learnt that Nkhabu had been murdered and that his manhood had been severed.

Mokganedi and co-accused Jabulani Mokoena, 32, Isaac Maloka, 34 and Nkosana Mgwexelwa, 34, have pleaded not guilty before Judge Margaret Victor.

It is alleged the four men attacked Nkhabu in the early hours of that morning.

The four assaulted him, took his jacket, stabbed him and removed his private parts.

The trial resumes.