The matter against murder accused Flavio Hlabangwane had to be postponed on Thursday following his instructions to his defense that he has new admissions to submit to the court before the trial proceeds. This after the state prosecutor Johan Badenhorst completed his examination with first state witness Thulisile Mbambo. Mbambo was best friends with murdered Tshepang Pitse who was brutally killed and dismembered by the accused in 2021. Some of her body parts were found in the accused freezer by his new girlfriend when he went out to the shops. 

MORE ADMISSIONS 

Hlabangwane told his defense attorney Tsakane Ndhlovu that she should not cross-examine the witness as he has new admissions for the court. "My client has asked the defense not to be cross examined in terms of Section 220 meaning an accused or his legal adviser may in criminal proceedings admit any fact placed in issue by the witness or evidence brought forward. Therefore, we ask for a postponement, said Ndlhovu. 

WHATSAPP VOICE NOTES

In what appears to be an attempt to scare off Mbambo, the accused sent voice notes warning her to stay out of his relationship with the deceased who was also his cousin. 

Hlabangwane sent the witness a string of voice notes lashing at her (Mbambo) for  interfering in his relationship. The voice messages were played in court. "Please don't give me any advice on how to run my relationship with my girlfriend. Don't tell me how to speak to my girlfriend and how I should speak to her, how I should be treating her. I knowwhat is best for her. you can't tell me you love her more than I do, you guys must tell me where I stand"

In another, Hlabangwane can be heard saying "I don't f**ken care, but don't f**ken come here thinking you can tell me how to f**ken talk to my girlfriend. So, I told you, I had an agreement with you. I spoke with you. I don't want to break you (your relationship) apart. She knows that every time I talk to her, I tell her that I want her friendship with you to grow. That is what you do for somebody you love. If they love somebody else, you harness that relationship. How can you advise her to walk away from me? That is not mature advice. If somebody in your life gains more happiness by being with friends or other people they love, you harness those relationships, by making sure all the relationships they have work out. It didn't work out. So, don't come here telling how I should be treating her, telling her you might love her more than me or she is better off on her own. That is making me angry. 

"As her friend, what you should be doing is telling her, sitting down with her, making sure you stand from an objective perspective saying you know what, you can fix your relationship by doing this and that. In this relationship, that is the only way she can see colour and you are trying to sabotage her. You are trying to tell her that you love her. Come on girl. Bereal," Hlabangwane said in the voice note.

HLABANGWANE WANTED A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WITNESS

Mbambo told the court that months after her last encounter with the accused, he sent her a text message saying that he had been clearing the clutter on his phone and came across her number. She said she allowed Hlabangwane to keep the number and they exchanged a few conversations.

" Initially he had my number. But when the accused texted me on the 11th of October 2021 it dawned on me that he was actually texting me on my new number which he didn't have." Based on the fights that we had regarding the deceased, the accused asked, "I don't know why you don't like me."

"I had suggested that the accused and the deceased go for counselling but the accused said they were happy separately now. And that's what the deceased told me the last time I spoke to her. Flavio then asked to go out with me for lunch and vent to me about his problems. I said I would ask Tshepang for permission to do that. After that I tried to get hold of the deceased, but her phone was off, Flavio said it's because she was studying and I wondered if that was the truth."

The state concluded their examination of the first witness and the matter will resume at the high court sitting at Palmridge magistrate court on Friday, 27 January.