Trio arrested after mom’s death during ‘exorcism’ abandon bail bid

A father and his two children arrested for the alleged murder of their mother have abandoned their bail application as more details emerge from the gruesome incident.

Charity Ntla, 61, and his two children, Buhle, 24, and Tumelo Mnyamezeli, 26, appeared in the Sebokeng magistrate's court on Thursday after police found the mutilated body of Phumeza Mnyamezeli, 42, at their home in Evaton.

Mnyamezeli was Ntla's wife and the two children's mother.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said: “It is alleged that on July 10, the four, including the deceased, were performing a religious ritual to rid the family of demonic forces at their home in Beverly Hills. During the ritual, it is alleged the three accused started assaulting and stabbing the deceased until she died after they mutilated her body.

“While the two children were still cutting their mother’s body, it is alleged Ntla ran to the police station to report the incident. The police arrived at the scene, while the two were still cutting the body and all three were arrested and remanded,” she said.

The trio face a murder charge and another of mutilating a body.

Mahanjana said that the matter was postponed to September 1 for further investigations.

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