Murdered teacher’s trial postponed to June
GA MAHLOKWANE
Ashan Fraz Cheema (30) and Raza Ali (26), the two Pakistani nationals who allegedly killed a local teacher were in court on Monday.
The two accused appeared in the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for the murder of Ga Mahlokwane’s Mohlale Precious Magabane.
Cheema and Ali are facing charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating the course of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and illegal immigration. The accused committed these offences on December 23, 2018.
In court, Cheema was not represented as his previous defence has withdrawn. The trial was then postponed to June 27 for him to secure a defence lawyer.
“It is alleged that Magabane and Cheema were in a love relationship. Both the accused went to the deceased apartment at Mashamothane and an argument started among them. Both the accused assaulted and killed her with a knife. They then dismembered deceased’s body and placed her body parts in several refuse bags. They placed the refuse bags in the vehicle and drove around, disposing of the body parts and buried them in a shallow grave,” revealed NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi.
On February 7, 2019, Limpopo provincial SAPS arrested the two Pakistani nationals, for the kidnapping and murder of Magabane. Her dismembered body was also found by the SAPS during the month of February after his alleged partner pointed to the spots in which they buried her parts. Only her head, torso and intestines were found during the discovery.
“They refused to reveal the rest of the body parts, saying they can’t remember where they have hidden them”, alleged a family member back in 2019.
The parts were found next to the R37 road to between Lydenburg and Burgersfort.
It is not known if the Magabane family conducted a funeral for Precious, after the skeletal remains allegedly went missing two years ago at a government mortuary in Lebowakgomo.
The 33 year old mother of two boys was a teacher at Kabishi Primary School in Mashamothane village.
