Woman tells court of farm attack
2009-04-14 20:39
Pietermaritzburg - A 61-year-old woman told the High Court in Pietermaritzburg how she was kicked and punched by two men accused of bludgeoning her husband to death with a shovel.
Testifying in the murder trial of Nkosingipile Khumalo, 21, and Zikhulile Simbela, 29, Miriam Podolski said the men entered their farm on September 5 2006 on the pretext of looking for jobs.
But when her husband left to "allocate jobs to the men", three of them allegedly returned to the house and assaulted Podolski and the family's domestic helper, Gloria Ngidi.
Podolski said she was punched, kicked and pulled by her hair before one of the men tied her to a chair.
At some point during the assault, Podolski said she was told that her husband had been killed, and that she too would be killed.
Once she thought her attackers had left, she managed to loosen herself before calling police for help.
Her husband, 71-year-old Ezrah, was found hanging from a tree, his head battered by a shovel.
The two men have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and aggravated robbery. Police are searching for a third suspect.
- SAPA