Durban — The pre-trial for a primary school teacher accused with her lover of killing her husband, an eThekwini fire fighter, has been adjourned again to August.
Richard Jabulani Mchunu was shot and killed by assailants at his Luganda home, just outside Pinetown in April 2022.
His wife, 50-year-old Gugu Mchunu, is alleged to have enlisted the assailants allegedly with the help of her lover and co-accused 30-year-old, Lindani Phungula.
The State in the matter alleges that the two acted in common purpose, adding that should they be convicted of the murder, they faced a minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
The pair, out on bail on appeal after having been previously refused in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court, appeared in the Durban High Court on Thursday.
The State in the matter indicated that it was ready to go to trial. However, details relating to pre-trial regarding things that Phungula was disputing needed to be ironed out to finalise the pre-trial.
The State’s summary of facts in the case was that accused two was married to the deceased and their marriage relationship had soured and the accused decided and conspired to kill the deceased.
“They enlisted the assistance of two individuals to kill the deceased,” alleges the State.
Further, it is alleged that on the evening of April 22 last year, the assailants attacked the teacher’s husband at his house in the area of Luganda, just outside Pinetown, and shot him with a firearm.
“The deceased was rushed to Crompton Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and died. The cause of death to the deceased was later established as multiple gunshot wounds. The State alleges that at all material times, the accused and assailants acted in concert and in furtherance of the execution of a common purpose to commit the crime of murder,” alleges the State.
The pair were indicted to the High Court from the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
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