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The Murder trial of Bafana Mahungela (23) accused of killing a pregnant Delta Park High School teacher, Kirsten Kluyts and wearing her clothes after in 2023 is underway in the Johannesburg High Court.
The victim, Kirsten Kluyts was allegedly between 24 and 14 weeks pregnant, She was found dead in bushes at George Lea Park, Sandton on 29 October 2023 after going missing during a park run
Autopsy revealed cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation.
Mahungela is charged with Murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and attempted rape.
Key to watch evidence is CCTV footage that allegedly shows Mahungela leaving the park wearing Kluyts’ blood-stained blue T-shirt and sunglasses. He was arrested at a Varsity College residence in Benmore in November 2023.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges although admits to removing Kluyts’ clothing and wearing her T-shirt, but says he found her already dead and took the clothes to avoid leaving fingerprints, because he feared being linked to a GBV case. He denies being the person showed in the CCTV footage.
Nicholas Ninow was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a seven-year-old girl in the bathroom of a Dros restaurant in Silverton, Pretoria. The landmark trial took place at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria and concluded in October 2019.
Case Breakdown and SentencesNinow was convicted on multiple charges:
Rape: Life imprisonment (the statutory maximum for raping a minor).
Possession of Drugs: 5 years imprisonment.Defeating the Ends of Justice:
5 years imprisonment (for flushing the victim's underwear down the toilet to destroy evidence).
The additional sentences run concurrently with his life sentence. Judge Papi Mosopa also ordered that Ninow’s name be permanently added to the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Core Trial ArgumentsThe State's Case: The prosecution argued that the attack was premeditated. Evidence and witness testimony proved that Ninow intentionally sat near the restaurant’s children's play area, stalked the young victim, and followed her into the restroom.
The Defense's Stance: Ninow entered a guilty plea but claimed the act was impulsive rather than planned. He blamed his actions on severe intoxication and drug addiction, stating he was using drugs in the bathroom cubicle when the child walked in.
Psychiatric Evaluation: Before the trial, Ninow was sent to Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital. The resulting medical evaluation declared him criminally responsible and fully fit to stand trial, noting that his substance abuse did not impair his ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
AppealsFollowing his sentencing, Ninow attempted multiple legal avenues to reduce his punishment:
March 2020: The Gauteng High Court dismissed his initial application for leave to appeal both his conviction and sentence.
August 2021: The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein granted him leave to appeal his sentence.
November 2023: In the matter of Ninow v S, the Gauteng High Court officially heard and ultimately dismissed the appeal, upholding his life sentence.