A 28-year-old man from KwaDukuza facing 39 charges including 8 counts of rape is expected to head for a second pre-trial conference after he fired his lawyer and tried to have the judge recuse himself from his case. 

Sihle Ntuthuko Dladla is alleged to have assaulted his victims last year after robbing them and raping them in the bushes of KwaDukuza in the Masomonco area. Among other charges are five counts of kidnapping, two counts of compelled sexual assault, unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. 

His trial had already started at the Durban High Court. The State led 12 witnesses out of 24; however, halfway through, Dladla brought an application to have Judge Mahendra Chetty recuse himself. 

In that application, he cited that Judge Chetty was not listening to him. He would not allow his lawyer from legal aid attorney Patrick Mkhumbuzi to ask certain questions during cross-examination. 

When his application was refused, Dladla then decided to fire Mkhumbuzi. When another attorney from the Legal Aid Board was assigned to him, he said he did not want a lawyer from the Legal Aid Board and demanded a Judicare-appointed counsel. 

On Wednesday at the Durban High Court Judicare appointed counsel Thomas Kafu for Dladla presented himself in court. 

“Statements in relation to the case have been provided to the defence,” State prosecutor advocate Dernado Macdonald said. 

Kafu responded and said he would need time to consult with Dladla and listen to the court record of everything that has happened in the trial thus far. 

The matter was then adjourned to 28 August for a pre-trial conference following which new trial dates would be set.

Dladla’s first victim was allegedly raped on January 17, 2024. He kidnapped her and raped her in the Masomonco area in KwaDukuza. In the same month, he raped two other women in the bushes of KwaDukuza after robbing them of their properties. In February last year, he raped three women in the same area. And in March he raped one woman. Some of these victims were kidnapped and continuously raped by the accused.

The State is alleging that Dladla armed himself with a firearm to carry out his plans and to make good his escapes. “The accused was known to the complainants,” State added. 

When he was arrested on March 8, last year, the State further alleged that Dladla was in possession of a firearm and ammunition without being a holder of a licence. 

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za

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