The Sunday News
Mncedisi Buhali
A 29-YEAR-OLD suspected murderer from Bulawayo left a court in stitches after he stole State documents that were placed on the edge of the dock so that he could use them as toilet paper in prison.
Mkhululi Dlomo of Pumula appeared before Mrs Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze on murder charges and when Mrs Msipa-Marondedze asked him to stand down after the setting of his trial date, the prison guards noticed him trying to hide the court papers in his pocket.
Mrs Msipa-Marondedze asked him what he was doing with the papers.
“What am I supposed to do? There is no toilet paper in (Khami) prison, so I want to use these,” Dlomo responded.
Mrs Msipa-Marondedze had already ordered that Dlomo be examined by two mental doctors, which did not go down well with him.
“Your Worship, I hear you talking about doctors. Doctors for who? I am not sick. I think doctors examine those who are sick. Unless there is a sickness that the court sees in me that I do not know,” Dlomo charged.
Mrs Msipa-Marondedze responded by instructing prison guards to make sure that Dlomo was examined before appearing on 27 May for trial.
“Doctors will examine you. They are the ones who will tell you what is wrong with you. Stand down!” she said.
According to court papers, on 21 January at around 7am, Dlomo together with Everton Moyo, Brian Sibanda, Prince Sibanda and Trust Ndlovu, met the now deceased, Trymore Nunurai, who was coming from his workplace and assaulted him using a blunt object. Nunurai suffered a deep cut on the back of the head and also two broken right hand fingers.
They forcibly took his cellphone, identity card and Barclays Bank card which were inside a wallet.
Nunurai managed to walk to his residence where he narrated what had transpired to his wife, Fisiwe Zikhali, and was ferried to Mpilo Hospital where he was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit and put on mechanical life support.
On 27 January Nunurai died and a post-mortem was conducted which established the cause of his death as epidural haematomia, skull fractures and head injuries due to assault.
The stolen cellphone was tracked using mobile network service providers and it was recovered from one Chalet Marko, who led detectives to the accused.
After the deceased’s wife positively identified the recovered cellphone, Dlomo freely and voluntarily made indications at the place where he and his accomplices had robbed the now deceased and caused his death.
