After pleading guilty to a number of charges for his alleged role in the murder of three elderly people, Vuyani Sifunda will now stand trial after he abruptly withdrew his plea, following a disagreement over his sentence.
On Thursday, Sifunda, 21, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one of attempted murder, two counts of housebreaking with the intent to rob and one count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Part of his plea agreement was that Sifunda would be sentenced to 25 years collectively but after judge Irma Schoeman rejected the sentencing agreement and intended to sentence him to life, Sifunda retracted his plea.
He will now join his co-accused Mbuyiseli Pikoli, 37, to be tried.
Sifunda and Pikoli are accused of the brutal murders of Tyrone Winston Jantjies, 62, Kenneth John Alexander, 76, and his partner Elaine Allwright, 78, as well as the attempted murder of Thembalethu Ndiyane, 23, during September 23 and 25 2017.
In the first incident, on September 23, it is alleged the pair broke into a caravan parked on the premises of the Forest Hill cemetery caretakers quarters.
There they allegedly attacked Jantjies and Ndiyane with a hammer and steel rod before making off with R50, a cellphone and a Toyota Tazz belonging to Jantjies.
The Tazz was later found abandoned near the Walmer location.
Two days later Sifunda and Pikoli allegedly broke into the Marine Drive, Schoenmakerskop house of Alexander and Allwright.
According to Sifunda, in his plea explanation, Pikoli had assaulted Alexander with a hammer when he stepped out the house to investigate a suspicious noise.
While dragging Alexander’s body back into the house, Sifunda said he heard a woman screaming and when he went to investigate he saw Pikoli attacking Allwright with a hammer.
On Monday, when the trial was expected to start in the Port Elizabeth High Court, defence attorney for Pikoli, Peet Schoonraad, requested the matter be postponed following “new developments”.
Schoonraad said he would not divulge what the new developments were at the time.
The case was postponed to Tuesday when both Pikoli and Sifunda are expected to plead.
Man, 21, withdraws guilty plea to three murders
Image: EUGENE COETZEE
After pleading guilty to a number of charges for his alleged role in the murder of three elderly people, Vuyani Sifunda will now stand trial after he abruptly withdrew his plea, following a disagreement over his sentence.
On Thursday, Sifunda, 21, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one of attempted murder, two counts of housebreaking with the intent to rob and one count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Part of his plea agreement was that Sifunda would be sentenced to 25 years collectively but after judge Irma Schoeman rejected the sentencing agreement and intended to sentence him to life, Sifunda retracted his plea.
He will now join his co-accused Mbuyiseli Pikoli, 37, to be tried.
Sifunda and Pikoli are accused of the brutal murders of Tyrone Winston Jantjies, 62, Kenneth John Alexander, 76, and his partner Elaine Allwright, 78, as well as the attempted murder of Thembalethu Ndiyane, 23, during September 23 and 25 2017.
In the first incident, on September 23, it is alleged the pair broke into a caravan parked on the premises of the Forest Hill cemetery caretakers quarters.
There they allegedly attacked Jantjies and Ndiyane with a hammer and steel rod before making off with R50, a cellphone and a Toyota Tazz belonging to Jantjies.
The Tazz was later found abandoned near the Walmer location.
Two days later Sifunda and Pikoli allegedly broke into the Marine Drive, Schoenmakerskop house of Alexander and Allwright.
According to Sifunda, in his plea explanation, Pikoli had assaulted Alexander with a hammer when he stepped out the house to investigate a suspicious noise.
While dragging Alexander’s body back into the house, Sifunda said he heard a woman screaming and when he went to investigate he saw Pikoli attacking Allwright with a hammer.
On Monday, when the trial was expected to start in the Port Elizabeth High Court, defence attorney for Pikoli, Peet Schoonraad, requested the matter be postponed following “new developments”.
Schoonraad said he would not divulge what the new developments were at the time.
The case was postponed to Tuesday when both Pikoli and Sifunda are expected to plead.
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