MBABANE – A man who brutally killed his brother and a relative has been found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity following the unprovoked and violent deaths of the two.
Judge Titus Mlangeni yesterday ordered that Nduduzo Maphalala, who smoked dagga and behaved aggressively, in terms of Section 3 of the Mental Health Order 1978, be detained in a mental hospital pending the pleasure of His Majesty.
The judge also ordered that after a period of 10 years from December 11, 2025, the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital shall undertake an evaluation of Maphalala’s mental state and make a written report for the consideration of His Majesty the King.
Maphalala found himself in this situation following horrific events that unfolded on July 15, 2022, at Nkoneni in the Shiselweni Region. Maphalala, the oldest of three siblings, faced two counts of murder for the killing of his younger brother, Siphamandla Mhlanga, and an elderly relative, Thembeki Mkhulisi, who resided in the same homestead.
The court heard testimony from several witnesses who described a day that ‘suddenly turned into a place of horror and death’. Maphalala’s 15-year-old sister recounted the start of the violence. She stated that after the deceased Siphamandla greeted Maphalala, he did not respond. She said Maphalala suddenly asked: “Do you know that I can kill all of you?” The witness and her other sibling are said to have started running, but Maphalala grabbed Siphamandla, dragged him into a room and closed the door.
She said she and another sibling heard Siphamandla screaming that the accused was strangling him and they later found that Siphamandla had died from the unprovoked attack. The witness described the accused as always ‘nice’ before the incident and initially thought he was joking.
Msesi Thwala, a neighbour, told the court that she fled into a cooking hut (lidladla) belonging to the elderly deceased, Thembeki, where they huddled together. She said Maphalala smashed the windows and entered through a shattered one.
Despite pleas, he stabbed the elderly woman in the head with a sharp object, causing blood to splatter on the witness’s coat. Thwala said she ran away, stating that Maphalala was generally a jolly person and that his behaviour that morning was not normal, noting that he was making unusual noises, as he entered through the window.
Another witness, Siyabonga Mkhulisi, a relative who responded to the alarm, told the court that he heard roaring noises, as he approached the room where Siphamandla was trapped. He said he saw that the young boy had blood around his mouth and on his T-shirt.
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