Man charged with hacking couple to death

Lebogang Mosikare | Wednesday September 9, 2015 16:17

 

The state alleges that Kegategile Xiego killed Xhatso Jackson and Brenda Julius using a homemade axe on April 26, 2013 at Gudigwa village in the North West district. 

The deceased have four children together. Inspector Douglas Khumalo said he received a call around 2am during the day the incident allegedly happened. Khumalo said he proceeded to Gudigwa clinic where a nurse told him to come and identify a dead body.  “I discovered that the body had a deep fresh cut on the neck and the other below the left eye. After that, we proceeded to Legothwane ward in Gudigwa whereupon arrival I found another victim inside the yard.

The body was covered in a blanket and was lying in a pool of blood,” he said.  He stated that the second victim had a fresh deep cut on the forehead, neck and shoulder. “I learnt that the victim I found at the clinic was Brenda Julius while the one I found at the yard was Xhatso Jackson.

I took the bodies to Gumare hospital where they were certified dead. I then went to Seronga police where the accused was detained in police cells. I confronted him about the allegations and he told me that he was the one who had killed them,” Khumalo said.  Khumalo said the following day, he went to Gudigwa accompanied by Xiego and asked him (Xiego) to give him the axe he used to kill the victims and the clothes he was wearing. He added that Xiego gave him the axe that was hidden under a tree about five metres from his house. Xiego’s attorney Karabo Pogiso said his client had instructed him that the axe was not hidden but was found were it is normally kept to which Khumalo responded:  “When I questioned him about the axe he told me that he had hidden it.”  Another state witness Moagedi Mponda told the court that Xiego used to be her lover, but they parted ways because he wanted to kill his child.

“In November 2008, I told Xiego that we should part ways because one day he came to my place looking like someone who was possessed by evil spirits telling me that my child was possessed by evil spirits, which he wanted to exorcise. My parents did not take that lightly and told me to leave him because he wanted to harm the child,” Mponda said.  Mponda said she did not know whether Julius, who was her aunt, was involved in a love relationship with Xiego because she had never seen them together, adding that she spent many of her childhood years in Maun after moving from Gudigwa.

She also refuted the defence’s assertion that she told Xiego that she was going to fix him after their relationship ended. After all the witnesses had given evidence, Justice Zibani Makhwade told Xiego that the state had led evidence against him. “In terms of the law, if the evidence was insufficient we would release you. I am of the view that you have a case to answer and I shall accordingly explain to you all the legal options you can use to defend yourself against these allegations,” said Makhwade. The trial continues.