A senior Pretoria government official who allegedly murdered his wife by beating her up in a jealous rage has been given time to raise money for his defence.
Despite earlier warnings by Pretoria High Court judge Tholi Vilakazi that he would not allow murder accused David Linley Sonkosi (40) to ”play games” with the court, Sonkosi was nevertheless granted a postponement on Thursday.
Sonkosi’s attorney, Kineil Muthray, who earlier withdrew from the case because of a lack of funds, on Thursday told the court Sonkosi had now promised not only to pay his outstanding fees, but also to pay in advance for his future representation.
Judge Vilakazi said Sonkosi — an agriculture department director in Pretoria — was entitled to the legal counsel of his choice, but this right was not unlimited, as the trial was previously delayed for the very same reason.
He gave Sonkosi until May 28, but warned that a final trial date would be set.
The accused asked for a postponement after the state closed its case, but before he could take the stand. He was represented by Legal Aid Board-appointed counsel while the state was presenting its case.
Sonkosi has denied guilt on the charge that he in May 2005 murdered his wife, schoolteacher Pumla Mkatali, claiming he had only pushed her once during an argument, as a result of which she had hit her head against the floor.
His wife’s cousin, Zukiswa Ncilata, testified that she had seen him repeatedly banging his wife’s body and head against a tiled floor and had heard him repeatedly hitting her with a thick leather belt and threatening to ”beat her up until she died”.
She said he was so ”wild, like a tiger” during the assault that she was afraid of him.
Pathologist Dr Robert Ngude testified that Mkatali’s injuries were consistent with repeated blunt force trauma not only to her head, but also to the rest of her body.
The teacher had a broken jaw, a swollen face, bleeding on the brain, severe bleeding surrounding both eyes and numerous wounds and lacerations on her face and the rest of her body, which were not consistent with her accidentally banging her head on the floor.
The case was postponed to May 28. Sonkosi is out on bail. — Sapa