Kirsten Kluyts murder accused tells court why he had her clothes

The man accused of raping and murdering a Sandton schoolteacher says he is shocked and traumatised to learn of the charges against him and vehemently denied any association with the murder, despite admitting to taking the victim's clothes at the scene.

Bafana Mahungela was back in the Alexandra magistrate's court on Wednesday for a bail application.

The 21-year-old student is charged with premeditated murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and rape in connection with the murder of Kirsten Kluyts two months ago. Kluyts, 34, a teacher at Delta Park High School, was killed during a MyRun event in October. Her body was found on one of the paths near the Sandton Sports Club when people went in search of her when she failed to finish the walk.

The state is opposing bail.

Prosecutor Ayanda Bakana told the court about Kluyts' gruesome death and Mahungela's alleged connection.

A clean-cut Mahungela appeared relaxed and unruffled. He was sporting grey tracksuit pants with a white shirt featuring a classic BMW 325i. At some point, he held tightly to the accompanying tracksuit top.

The state claimed that an unknown blunt object was used to kill the jogger.

“It is the state's submission further that there were items, property, that belonged to the deceased that was taken. Allegedly, running shoes were taken, sunglasses, a T-shirt [and] pants,” Bakana detailed. 

“The state is still busy with further investigation. Fortunately at this stage, the postmortem report is available and in terms of it ... the cause of death is as follows: blunt force head trauma, strangulation, smothering as well as pressure to the neck”.

According to Bakana, Kluyts' body was naked. The state alleged that video footage showed Mahungela following Kluyts and leaving the place where her body was found.

The same footage also allegedly showed Mahungela jumping over a locked gate in a bid to run away and, before that, captured him throwing away some of her clothes. He was also seen wearing her shirt.

“Thereafter, Mahungela is seen walking, but still in possession of some of the clothes that belonged to the deceased. On his way to where he is staying, he was seen sitting down under a tree next to a certain road. Where he was seated, allegedly there are two drains [and] he was seen inserting the clothes of the deceased.

“After doing that, allegedly Mahungela took three or four steps [before turning] back to check whether the items he was discarding were  visible. At one stage, he [allegedly] realised that the cap belonging to the victim could be easily seen. Allegedly, he went back and tried to force it inside [the drain]. That is appearing in one of the videos,” he said.

Mahungela took to the stand and told the court he was a second-year Varsity College student from Nazareth in Mpumalanga. He  was an “average” student.

He said he missed some of his final exams due to his arrest in November.

Mahungela told the court he had gone to a pyjama party held for his girlfriend's friend's 21st birthday in Alexandra on October 28. He said there were more than 20 people at the party and he spent the night in Alexandra.

He returned to Sandton the next morning using a taxi and missed his stop as he dozed off on the way back home. He passed the park on his way and after making a stop at the restaurant at the Sandton Sports Club, was walking on the jogging trail when he spotted the deceased. He denied carrying anything other than a phone the entire time.

“I decided to stop to pee but I [ended up not doing so] because I saw a rag down by the trees. I wondered what it was and decided to go [investigate]. When I got there, I first kicked it with my foot and I felt that there was weight to it. That's when I proceeded to remove it, because there was no response.

“So I saw someone laying on their side, facing the other direction [from him]. It was a white lady,” he said.

“I realised after shaking her that there was no response ... so I then went and turned her ... and checked for her pulse and I put my ear on her heart, that's when I realised there's nothing ... the person has passed away,” he explained.

He denied having knowledge of what happened to Kluyts and said when he realised that she was dead — a white person and a woman — he wanted nothing tying him to the murder, given the scourge of gender-based violence. He said he took her clothes to get rid of his fingerprints. He also denied taking her cellphone and keys, saying he didn't need to because he was “not poor”.

When he arrived at his residence, near Benmore centre, Mahungela said he told the caretaker's girlfriend what happened because “it was eating me inside, I couldn't keep it to myself”.

Detailing his arrest on November 26, Mahungela alleged he was assaulted.

One of those present during Mahungela's arrest was also in court during his bail application, he claimed.

“He [officer in court] was slapping me from downstairs, till I got to my room. There was also some private investigator [who] took an iron in my room and told one of the police officers to switch it on because he thinks I'm playing games. 

“I was slapped by [two officers], there was also [another] one who choked me while I was downstairs [at res]. After I went out of my room, there's a study place at res, so I was leaning on the table and he carried on slapping me there, saying 'you killed this white person' [repeatedly].

Mahungela told the court he was left with a perforated ear drum that needed to be closed. There were no visible injuries during his appearance.

Asked how he felt about being linked to Kluyts' death, he said: “It's a shock to me, it's traumatising. If you can ask anyone, even the guys in prison, I get along with all of them in my cell, I'm friends with all the cellmates, it's shocking for me because I'm kind to everyone so I don't know what they're talking about”.

The matter was postponed to next week for continuation of the bail application. Mahungela remains in custody.

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