A man who killed his grandmother and beheaded her claims to not remember anything related to the murder.
Image: File
Thabo Ntokozo Nzimande, accused of beheading his 80-year-old grandmother, Beatrice DeLange, and using her head as a soccer ball on June 7, 2024, told the Durban High Court on Tuesday that he was likely experiencing temporary insanity or delusion at the time of the killing.
Currently under cross-examination, Nzimande claims to have no recollection of the events surrounding the death of his grandmother, with whom he lived in Pinetown, IOL reported.
He told the court he had consumed five sleeping pills and smoked marijuana on the day in question in an attempt to sleep, stating he wanted to be rested for his overtime at work on Saturday.
He noted that the pills usually rendered him unconscious within 15 minutes. However, on the day of the incident, he said he took them at separate times, and they were ineffective.
Contradictory evidence emerged from his time at Fort Napier Hospital, where he reportedly told a doctor that marijuana typically heightened his senses and made him happy.
Senior State prosecutor advocate Nadira Moosa questioned Nzimande about an alleged argument with DeLange in May, following inconclusive drug test results, where he reportedly called her a “crazy old b*****”.
Nzimande denied the altercation, stating he only asked his grandmother to arrange for a second drug test because he was unsure about what was happening with the first one.
He further denied that their relationship had soured, that they had been heard arguing days before the murder, or that his grandmother had, for the first time, refused to attend his rehab sessions in May.
Moosa pressed Nzimande on the different versions of the voices he claims to have heard during his ‘delusional state’.
Nzimande denied that he had told his uncle, John Ngcobo, that his ancestors instructed him to kill his grandmother. Instead, he claimed to have heard the voice of his late mother expressing pride in him, saying she was visiting him alongside his late uncle and grandfather.
Advocate Moosa pressed Nzimande on the inconsistencies in his account regarding the voices he allegedly heard.
Moosa pointed out a prior instruction: “Your instructions were that you heard the voice saying, you know what to do.”
Nzimande claimed he could not recall this.
Further challenging his memory, Moosa questioned Nzimande about his interaction with Ngcobo while carrying DeLange’s head.
“Ngcobo said that when you moved the curtain, he saw you carrying the head of your grandmother, and you said I had to do that. What do you have to say?” she asked.
Nzimande again responded that he did not remember.
His lack of recollection extended to other key moments. He stated he had no memory of telling Constable Chili, who arrived at the scene, that he had just killed his grandmother.
“Constable Chili heard you shouting that you had heard your ancestors say to kill the person that you love the most. Were you lying to him?”
Nzimande replied: “I most probably have been confused. I was in a police station, and I was being told what had happened, and I couldn’t believe… I don’t have a memory of me uttering those words. If I did utter those words, I think it’s because of the freakiness of hearing voices.”
The matter will proceed in June.