An alleged incestuous relationship between her husband and his sister was what drove an Mtunzini police colonel to commit murder.
This was according to the testimony of Emily Zodwa Zulu, 41, during her murder trial in the Durban High Court yesterday.
Last year Zulu pleaded guilty to the September 2010 murder of her sister-in-law, Sinenkosi Zulu, and the attempted murders of her mother-in-law, Dumazile Zulu, and brother-in-law, Khulekani Zulu.
According to her plea, the day before the murder, Zulu found out that her husband was having an affair with Sinenkosi.
The next day she phoned Sinenkosi and became angry when she refused to speak to her.
After she left work at Mtunzini police station, she drove 200km to her sister-in-law’s home in Emahashini, Nongoma, and knocked on the door. When it was not opened, she began shooting at it with her service firearm.
She climbed through a window and shot and killed Sinenkosi. Khulekani was injured in the shooting.
Zulu handed herself over to the police and later resigned from the police service.
She testified during mitigation of sentence yesterday that she had been deeply troubled by the alleged affair and had only intended to speak to her sister-in-law about it.
“I did not go there to kill her, I just wanted answers.”
She said she had had a tumultuous relationship with her husband and had fled their home on several occasions because of “conflicts”.
Strange
She added that if she were sentenced to correctional supervision, she would live with her mother in Ulundi and abide by any conditions imposed by the court.
Zulu’s advocate, Gareth Leppan, argued yesterday that his client was a suitable candidate for correctional supervision and that the shooting had been a “one-off, extraordinary event”.
He said clinical psychologist Clive Willows had found that she had had “diminished criminal capacity” when the crimes were committed and that she did not pose a danger to society. However, reports submitted to the court by the correctional services officer and a probation officer both recommended that Zulu serve a jail term.
Correctional services officer Siduduzo Ntuli testified yesterday that Zulu had an anger management problem and that the victim’s family feared for their lives.
“The family are afraid of her and said she had not apologised to them,” said Ntuli.
He added that Zulu’s husband had obtained an interim protection order against his wife after she was released on bail in July last year.
Leppan said it was strange that Ntuli’s report had been favourable towards his client until his recommendation for the sentence.
Ntuli replied that Zulu had displayed aggressive behaviour and that the crime was serious.
Probation officer Nokwanda Buthelezi found in her report that only a prison sentence would be appropriate.
Leppan said Ntuli and Buthelezi were inexperienced and had not properly prepared their reports because they were in direct conflict with Willows’s report.
The case was adjourned to later this month.
