
- Palesa Madiba's murder trial rolled over to Tuesday.
- This comes after the accused's lawyer needed to see a doctor.
- The State did not object to the request.
The trial of the man accused of murdering University of Johannesburg (UJ) student, Palesa Madiba was rolled over to Tuesday in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
This comes after a short delay to proceedings - defence lawyer Dominic Thinani indicated he needed to see a doctor.
The State did not object to this request and the matter was subsequently rolled over.
Dumisani Mkhwanazi faces charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating the administration of justice, the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The accused previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Madiba went missing following a sleepover at her friend Tshidi Mkhwanazi's house in Phiri, Soweto on 9 August 2013.
Tshidi is the niece of the accused.
On 16 December 2015, Madiba's remains were found in a shallow grave behind Tshidi's home after a neighbour noticed an arm protruding from the ground, News24 reported.
ALSO READ | Close friend testifies about final morning spent with Palesa Madiba
On 12 November 2020, the court heard Tshidi testify about her final morning spent with the deceased.
Testifying before Judge Prince Manyathi, Tshidi told the court she had been friends with Madiba since primary school.
Tshidi further told the court that on Monday, 12 August 2013, following the sleepover, her grandmother left the home at 06:30 and she left at 07:00, while Madiba was making the bed, preparing to go to the UJ Soweto Campus.
Tshidi was living with her grandmother and the accused was occupying one of the backrooms which he shared with his girlfriend. He did, however, have access to the main house to bathe and eat, News24 reported.
Tshidi told the court that when she arrived at work, she tried to call Madiba, but she did not answer her phone which was unlike her.
When relatives could not determine her whereabouts, a missing persons case was opened with the police.
Two years later, Tshidi told the court that her grandmother and her were away when they received a call that a corpse was found inside their yard, News24 reported.
A total of 13 witnesses are expected to be called to the stand.
The matter continues on Tuesday.
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