The KwaZulu-Natal High Court has heard the defence of a Durban man accused of murdering a 23-year-old mother and burying her body in a makeshift grave at his Inanda home.
Mfanafuthi Kunene is on trial for the murder of Ayabonga Mjilo, who disappeared in December 2024 after she was last seen at Capello restaurant in Umhlanga.
Mjilo, a mother of one, had been out drinking with Kunene, her former manager at Nutun call centre, on the day she vanished. Nearly two weeks later, on 4 January 2025, police tracked Kunene to his Amaotana home in Inanda, where he led them to a shallow grave in his yard.
Defence Version Put to Court
When the trial began on Monday, Kunene’s attorney, Rudy Reddy, presented his client’s version of events during cross-examination of the State’s first witness, Mjilo’s boyfriend, Mfundo Brandon Langa.
According to Reddy, Kunene will testify that he had been drinking with friends and colleagues at Capello restaurant to celebrate the end of the year when Mjilo unexpectedly joined the group.
Kunene’s version is that, as the evening progressed, his colleagues left, leaving him alone with Mjilo. The pair allegedly continued drinking together.
“The deceased supported him emotionally because his girlfriend had recently lost a child through a miscarriage. The accused was distraught and in tears, and the deceased offered to accompany the accused home,” said Reddy.
The defence maintains that the two left Umhlanga for Inanda in an Uber in the early hours of the morning.
‘He Dozed Off’
Reddy told the court that once they arrived at Kunene’s home, Mjilo’s cellphone battery was flat and he placed it on charge.
“The deceased was sitting on the bed while the accused lay on his back. He dozed off and awoke around 01:00 and went to the toilet. When he returned, he checked the deceased’s phone and saw it had been fully charged.
“He called out her name to alert her of this, but she didn’t respond. He moved her in the bed and realised she was in a sleeping position. He shook her on the shoulder and realised her head was moving from one side to the other,” said Reddy.
Kunene would testify that he noticed Mjilo was foaming at the mouth and not responding.
“He then put his two fingers under her nose. When he checked her pulse on her wrist, there was no pulse, and he panicked. Realising that she was dead, a lot of thoughts came into his head,” said Reddy.
Body Buried in Pit Latrine
The court heard that instead of calling emergency services or the police, Kunene allegedly went outside to get some air.
Reddy said his client noticed a pit latrine outside the house before returning indoors.
“He took the body and placed it into the pit latrine, and that was the end of what he did that day. The next morning, on Christmas Day, he realised that the body was not fully covered. He took some blocks and cement to cover everything up.”
According to the State, Mjilo had been missing for nearly two weeks before police located Kunene and he pointed out the burial site in his yard.
Trial Continues
Kunene has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
The State is expected to challenge his account as proceedings continue in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court. The trial is scheduled to run until 7 August.
Mjilo’s disappearance in December 2024 prompted widespread concern among her family and community, with her boyfriend among those who last saw her alive before she went out to meet Kunene.
The court will ultimately have to determine whether her death occurred as described by the accused — or whether the evidence supports the State’s allegation of murder.
