Durban — The funeral for a Phoenix woman who was murdered by her husband was to take place soon after the man’s sentencing, three years after her murder.
In October, Sfiso Professor Ndlovu was found guilty of killing and kidnapping Khulukazi Ndlovu, who had been missing for a few days when her car was found burnt and abandoned in a cemetery in Molweni.
Human remains were found inside the wreck, but the identity of the body was only confirmed six months later through DNA.
Ndlovu was also convicted of malicious damage to property by Judge Mohini Moodley, who is to sentence the man soon.
State prosecutor advocate Thabani Buthelezi, during the trial, presented evidence to the court in the form of cellphone records as well as Ndlovu’s car tracker which proved he had indeed kidnapped his wife together with an accomplice and murdered her.
Ndlovu, an inspector at Tansnat bus service, had pleaded not guilty to the April 2020 murder of his wife, who also worked for the same bus service.
Khulukazi had moved out of their Phoenix home and was renting accommodation in the area at the time of her disappearance.
Ndlovu was arrested nearly six months after Khulukazi’s charred body was found.
The anguish faced by Khulukazi’s family following her murder will finally come to rest after Ndlovu’s sentence.
Initially, when her body was found, there was a long wait for DNA to confirm her identity. Following this, the family learnt that since she was married they could not bury her as her husband had that right.
However, as an accused in her murder, Ndlovu also could not bury Khulukazi.
On Thursday, her sister, Poppy Nqeketho, said that when the day of the sentence finally arrived, the family would breathe a sigh of relief.
“We don’t even have her death certificate as yet, we have not started preparing for the funeral as we have to wait for the sentence to be finalised as there is paperwork that needs to be signed off by the investigating officer first. Once all this is done, my sister can finally rest in peace,” she said.
Nqeketho said Khulukazi was one of four siblings and with their mother having died some years back, their father was their only surviving parent.
“This whole ordeal has not been easy for him, it has not been easy for us as siblings either. It has been hard for my father, more especially not being able to have a funeral for his child. We are all happy that it’s all coming to an end. Once he has been sentenced, then we will meet as a family and probably speak on having the funeral next week. Our home is in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, and that is where she will be laid to rest.”
She applauded the National Prosecuting Authority for securing the conviction and thanked police for their diligent investigation.
“We always hear people speak of the little faith they have in the justice system and police, but we have seen otherwise, we have seen justice being served and it has brought our family much relief,” said Nqeketho.
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