‘ I planned your sister’s death’, says Khitleli in a recording
The long-awaited trial of murder accused Boitumelo Khitleli is set to commence on Thursday in the Maluti Regional Court.
It has been over a year since Khitleli was detained by the police for allegedly killing his girlfriend, also the mother of his child Mankumane Mpharwane by stabbing her 17 times using a knife in October,23.
On Thursday, the family will go to court knowing very well that Khitledi planned the murder of their daughter. This is according to Mpharwane’s sister Lerebohile Mankumane who told The Informer that Khitledi told her over the phone that he has been planning the murder of her sister.
“I planned the murder of your sister since the 10th of October 2019 after discovering that she no longer loves me. Then I killed her on the 23rd of the same month”. Talking to the Informer Lerebohile said she received the call and a male voice greeted her, before he introduced himself as Boitumele I had already recognised the voice because I know him. I was shocked by the fact that an accused person behind bars can call people outside. He told me the reasons why he killed my sister. “I killed your sister because I discovered that she no longer loves me. I planned to kill her, myself and our child…
“From October, 10th I was busy organising a gun to kill the three of us but could not get it. On the 23rd I used the knife instead to kill her,” said Khitleli.
I asked him, Then why didn’t you kill yourself he replied with “I wanted to but I failed. After killing her I took her car. I was planning to drive under a truck something that was going to kill me on that day. I bumped into three cars intentionally but I failed to kill myself,” lamented Khitleli.
Asked about how her family is feeling about the whole case issue Lerebohile said “We are very tired and frustrated. We want this to be over we don’t understand why authorities are taking so long to finish the case”, concluded Lerebohile.
On the other hand, a star witness in the case who also escaped death on the day Lebo Ntoni is also not happy that this case is taking so long. “I want it to be over. I have got my subpoena I will be in court to tell what I know. I am not happy by the fact the two other witnesses did not receive a subpoena”
How did Mankumane die?
Mankumane was stabbed 17 times with a knife on the upper body on Friday, 23 in the morning. According to witnesses, the deceased was sitting in a car, when she was ambushed by the accused. An argument ensued outside the vehicle, leading to a physical altercation. Khitleli is alleged to have drawn a knife, stabbing Mpharwane while she was pleading and begging for him to spare her life. Unfortunately, she succumbed to the wounds and died on the spot.
The eve of the fateful day
According to reports, on the eve of Mankumane’s murder, she was stalked, verbally and physically harassed by the accused. The toxic relationship imploded at one of Matatiele’s Supermarket’s parking lot in the afternoon, when Khitleli was hurling insults at the deceased, threatening to kill her in front of shop patrons. He had been tempted to throw a stone at the deceased before being chased away by security guards.
In the evening, Mankumane was chilling with her friends, when Khitleli accused her of cheating and again threatened to kill her in front of her friends. In the late hours of that day, Mankumane told her friends that Khitleli’s death threats are daring and needed to be attended to. She and her friends, went to the Maluti Police station to ask for assistance. She laid bare her story to the police and that she feared for her life. Mankumane also learnt during her ordeal with the police that the restraining order she had applied for against Khitleli had not been delivered to the accused. Out of desperation, she further asked that she be accommodated, however, she was told that the station was not Bread and Breakfast. The police officer who refused to help the deceased was placed on unpaid suspension for three months. Fearing for her life, Makumane asked her friend, who was also a security officer at her school to sleep over at her house.
According to Ntoni, on the day of the fateful incident, they had left Makumane’s residence to her home to change clothes before going to work” I had left Mankumane in the car. While I was in the house, I heard kids screaming, they budged into the room and told me that there is a man outside stabbing Mankumane. I went out running, calling for Khitleli to leave Mankumane alone. Just when I was closer, he turned on me wielding the knife and stabbed me in the head and I fell. I saw him taking Makumane’s car speeding off, I crawled over to Makumane and I saw that she was bleeding profusely. I asked for people to call the ambulance. The last thing I remember, I was at the back of an ambulance when I consciously said that is Makumane’s car plunged in the river,” said Ntoni
Court proceedings
Khitleli’s case has been postponed numerous times, leading to just over a year. The accused is charged on four accounts, including murder, attempted murder and theft. He intends on pleading guilty to three accounts. The trial court proceedings are expected to conclude in two days time.
