08-05-2025
KZN man accused of beheading grandmother, playing with severed head to be tried in August
A Durban man accused of killing his grandmother and playing with her severed head is set to stand trial in August.
The accused appeared in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Thursday, his defence has questioned findings from two psychiatrists, requesting more reports for clarity.
Judge Jacqueline Henriques postponed the matter to 24 July for further pretrial.
The trial against a Durban man accused of beheading his grandmother and kicking her severed head 'like a football' is set to be heard in August.
Thabo Ntokozo Nzimande appeared in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Thursday, charged with the murder of 80-year-old Beatrice de Lange. His trial was set down to be heard from 25 August to 19 September.
Soon after his arrest in June last year, Nzimande was sent for a psychiatric evaluation.
First, he was evaluated at RK Khan Hospital by a district surgeon, where it was found that he had bipolar mood disorder as well as substance-induced psychotic disorder.
It was also found that he had a history of substance abuse, which included cocaine, crack cocaine, alcohol and cannabis, having been to rehab three times in the past.
The surgeon found he was unfit to stand trial but also recommended a further evaluation.
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The report from subsequent evaluation at Fort Napier Hospital found that Nzimande was, in fact, fit to stand trial.
Nzimande's Fort Napier panel consisted of two psychiatrists who separately and independently examined him at the hospital.
In court, senior State advocate Nadira Moosa said the defence wants an additional report to be compiled by the two psychiatrists.
She said:
The issue that the defence has is not the accused's fitness to stand trial but the question of why only two psychiatrists and not three [examined him]. It's an issue of whether there was sufficient observation.
Nzimande's defence lawyer, Patrick Mkhumbuzi, said he had discussed this issue with the State and it was still being ironed out ahead of the commencement of the trial.
'Our intention is not to delay the start of the trial; we wish to fully ventilate it so as not to cause delay,' he said.
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The additional information that Mkhumbuzi requires will be reports from two psychiatrists, which will be compiled using all the available information in the case provided by the State and the version of the accused to be provided to the two by the defence.
In light of Mkhumbuzi's request to secure an additional medical report, Judge Jacqueline Henriques postponed the matter to 24 July for further pre-trial.
She also directed Mkhumbuzi to provide the accused's version to the State and hand over to the two psychiatrists by 16 May.
The accused remains in custody after abandoning his bail application last year.
