swaziland times

Mbabane – Zwelibanzi Simelane, the alleged killer of Sharon Neves, said he lost his mind when he hit her with the handle of a pickaxe.

Simelane is on trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Neves, who died in the apartment they shared in Nhlangano Nkanini township on February 8, 2022. Neves was the Shiselweni regional coordinator of the National Emergency Commission for HIV/AIDS (NERCHA). Simelane testified yesterday, telling the court that Neves had left the Correctional Services cafeteria early on the day of the murder and when he returned to the house after 11 p.m., he found her sitting in the dark, with the only light coming from the television. He said she was sitting on the couch and he was surprised she wasn’t asleep because she told him she was going to bed when she left the cafeteria. According to Simelane, she had a glass of wine in front of her.

He said Neves was unhappy that he came back so late and was drunk. Simelane said she argued over the house keys and he kept them in his hand for most of the time and drove her car. “She slapped me when we were arguing. My vision went blurry for a moment. When I regained my vision, I saw her standing because the lights were off. I was drunk. The deceased was holding a decorative glass and she threw it at me while I was still sitting on the sofa. “She aimed at my head. I raised my arm and the axe hit the back of my hand. I was injured. The axe fell to the ground and broke into pieces. It happened very quickly. I realized she was holding a pick handle,” Simelane narrated.

She claimed Neves tried to hit him in the head. He said he had undergone head surgery in 2013 to have a ventricular shunt inserted in the right side of his head, down to his intestines, to treat meningitis. “The deceased knew how delicate the surgery was and she aimed for the head with every strike. During the attack, I panicked and lost my mind for a moment. I stood up and struggled to grab the handle of the pickaxe she was using to attack me.

Wrestling

“We got into a scuffle, and I remember at one point, as we were struggling, I hit her once or twice with the handle of the pickaxe. I can’t remember where I hit her, but it was definitely on her body. During the struggle, she slipped and fell pretty hard. She hit her ribs on the coffee table and the back of her head on the floor.” Simelane said he only came to his senses after Neves fell. He told the court he tried to help her to her feet. “She said I should f**k away from her. I stormed out of the house. She insulted me, called me a coward and said I should just walk away. While I was outside, I lit up a cigarette and started smoking. While I was smoking, I called my friend Thulani (Dlamini) hoping he would intervene. He didn’t answer the phone.

“After being outside for a while, I came back inside and found Sharon standing up from where she had fallen. I walked towards the bedroom and found her on her knees. I shook her and tried to help her stand up, but she was unresponsive. She was unresponsive. I tried to call 977 emergency services, but it didn’t go through. I was still calling her name.”
At this point, Simelane began to cry and his lawyer, Mlindi Mthetwa, asked him if he could continue. Simelane asked the court for patience as he told his story in one go for the first time. He said that out of shock he picked up the objects they had fought with – broken glass and a pickaxe handle – and threw them over the fence outside.

“I went to the sink outside and washed the blood off my body because I was still bleeding. I went back inside the house. Sharon was wearing a short nightgown and I took a kanga shawl and covered her with it. I got in the car and drove to the police station in Nhlangano. I was still in shock and scared. I found Officer Hlatshwako at the front desk. I reported that I had found Sharon’s body inside the house.
“He asked me where I was from at the time and I told him I was drinking with friends in Matendele. I was scared and shocked and my intention was to get help for her.”
He said he returned to the Nkanini house with police that evening and showed them where Neves was buried.

He said he was out quickly. “It was clear to me that she was dead because she was still in the same position I had left her in. I sat on the steps and cried. The police came out and told me I couldn’t go back into the house because it was a crime scene. They asked me where I could stay for the night. I said I wouldn’t leave until the crime scene police came in the morning. I was hoping she would wake up in the morning, but that didn’t happen.”

police

Simelane was taken to the police station, put in a cell and later questioned. He said he led police back to the apartment and pointed out items he had thrown over the fence. He said they also included Neves’s phone and watch. He was charged with murder and appeared in the District Court. At the end of his testimony, he offered his condolences to Neves’ family, “if they are in court, as well as her colleagues and our friends.” “I apologize to the entire community for the incident that led to Neves’ death. I apologize to the court because this is the first time I have been in court for such a serious crime.” The defence has closed its case. Oral arguments will be heard on August 9, 2024, and Judge Maxine Langwenya is likely to render a guilty verdict on August 15, 2024.