The trial for serial murderer Hlabirwa Rassie Nkuna, who is accused of killing Hillary Gardee and Nonkululeko Nkosi, has been postponed to Friday to allow him to get new legal representative.
This came on Tuesday at the Mpumalanga High Court when he announced that he has decided to part ways with his lawyer, Adv Malesela Kekana, from the legal aid board.
Prior to the case starting, where Nkuna was supposed to plead on the 12 charges he is facing, Kekana stood up and told judge Lindiwe Vukeya that his client has declared a vote of no confidence against him and will not be representing him anymore.
The declaration annoyed Vuyeka, who questioned the timing of the decision after even having done case management with the same lawyer and on Monday they were given time to finalise their consultation. The judge had rolled the case to Tuesday to allow them enough time.
Nkuna is accused of abducting Gardee, the daughter of EFF deputy president Godrich Gardee, in April 2022 along with her three-year-old adopted daughter.
The daughter was dumped at Umnenke Street at KaMagugu, Mbombela, where they stayed, while Gardee’s body was found about 60km outside of Mbombela by timber plantation workers the following month.
The trial is merged with the murder case of Nkosi, whom Nkuna is accused of abducting and strangling at Sundra in Delmas and left her for dead on the side of the road. She was found by a cattle herder who alerted the police.
Sowetan
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