The bail hearing of Skeem Saam actress Amanda Manku's father and police officer William Manku, his cop girlfriend, Nonhlahla Ngubo and a hitman has been postponed to next week Thursday for closing arguments on bail application. The trio appeared before the Magatle Magistrate Court in Zebediela, Limpopo on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, two counts of murder and obstruction of justice.

"I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MURDERS"

During their bail hearing yesterday, defence lawyer told the court that Ngubo did not play any part in the murders of Manku's wife Gladys Manku (45) and mother-in-law Letti Maphuthuma (70) in May 2021. Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the investigating officer (IO) who was on the stand presenting his evidence on Tuesday was cross-examined by the defence lawyer yesterdy. "The IO said Ngubo used to insult Gladys Manku on the phone whenever she would call her husband following their disagreements," she said. Malabi-Dzangi said that the defense lawyer asked the IO if she was aware that accused Ngubo maintained her innocence. "The IO said the evidence he has acquired against Ngubo shows otherwise," she said. The court also heard that Ngubo is a single mother of four and that she is on suspension from the SAPS without pay.

THE CONFESSION

On Wednesday, the IO told the court that Manku confessed that he wanted his mother-in-law dead. "He said that he was looking for a person to kill his mother-in-law. When he found the people, he drove with them to show them where the mother-in-law lived, and he drove back to Gauteng. Malabi-Dzhangi said the hitmen went back to Limpopo on Manku's instruction to kill his mother-in-law. "The men called Manku after they had finished their work, but they had killed two people instead of one. He told them that one of the women was his wife and they told him they had to kill her as she ran away after her mother was shot and they thought she was going to tell the community and they would be caught," she said. Dzhangi further said that Manku made a payment to the inkabis after the murder. Dzhangi also said there were two domestic violence cases that Amanda's mother had opened two cases, one of assault and one of domestic violence against her husband shortly before her murder. Yesterday, hundreds of community members gathered outside court chanting and demanding that the accused be denied bail.