Enoch Ndou’s multiple murder trial, in which he is accused of murdering seven family members, including four children, resumes today at Thohoyandou High Court. Image: SABC NEWS
(The Post News)- The trial of 55-year-old Azwidohwi Enoch Ndou, charged with committing multiple murders, is expected to return to the Thohoyandou High Court in Waterval, near Louis Trichard in Limpopo on Thursday, September 12.
Ndou has been accused of murdering seven of his family members on December 25, 2021, in Jones Village, near Malamulele. It is alleged that Ndou shot and killed his two nephews, his nephew’s wife, and four children, between the age of one and 12, over an inheritance.
According to previous reports, Ndou was arrested in December 2021 and charged with seven counts of murder, after he handed himself over to the police.
In February 2022, he was denied bail, and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stated that the decision not to grant him bail was based on the interests of justice in keeping him safe in custody because the community was angry.
According to his lawyer, he had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and in July 2023, the court denied an application to admit him to a mental institution for evaluation, requiring that his medical history be provided first.
Furthermore, in February 2024, the court declared him fit to stand trial, despite a psychiatric evaluation indicating that he should be committed to a mental facility regardless.
Judge Thogomelani Tshidada ruled that the findings of the psychiatric evaluation were biased, noting that the expert report lacked credibility, hence the accused was dimmed fit for trial.
The trial was postponed on Monday, September 9, to Thursday, September 12, due to Nous’s counsel, Kagiso Muthithivhi, being unviable due to another commitment. As it previously stated that about ten state witnesses would testify, the state is anticipated to continue calling witnesses as the trial progresses.
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