- This topic is empty.
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
-
Posts
-
TO PLEAD: Simxolele Zitshu, the man accused of murdering Bay physiotherapist Marolien Schmidt, appears in the Gqeberha high court on Tuesday
She had a budding career and a competitive nature, but Gqeberha physiotherapist Marolien Schmidt’s bright future was ruthlessly taken from her — and it was all for a cellphone.
Stabbed multiple times in the chest and abdomen, the 40-year-old woman’s life was reduced to a few hundred rand.
The shocking details of the Women’s Day murder which rocked the city were revealed in court documents as her alleged killer made his first appearance in the Gqeberha high court on Tuesday.
Simxolele Zitshu, 31, was arrested about 24 hours after he allegedly broke into Schmidt’s Sherlock Street home in Richmond Hill during the early hours of August 9.
According to the charge sheet, Zitshu had gained entry to Schmidt’s home by breaking a window.
It is believed that inside the house, Schmidt confronted Zitshu as he removed a television from the wall rack.
It is alleged Zitshu then took out a knife that he had in his possession and stabbed Schmidt multiple times before fleeing with only Schmidt’s Samsung Galaxy S21 cellphone.
Court documents do not reveal what type of knife was used.
Schmidt was declared dead at Life St George’s Hospital.
Her worried neighbours, who had responded to her screams for help, had tried to save Schmidt’s life by rushing her to the emergency unit.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
A postmortem concluded that Schmidt had died as a result of “penetrating incised wounds of the chest and abdomen”.
Zitshu was arrested after the area’s ward councillor, Terri Stander, provided police with footage from a CCTV camera outside her home.
Stander resides in the same street as Schmidt.
Because of her intimate knowledge of the surrounding area, Stander was also able to provide the police with the addresses of known hotspots where criminal elements tend to hide.
Zitshu was caught at one of these so-called problem buildings and arrested.
Zitshu’s home address is listed as Savuka Street, Kwanoxolo.
He abandoned his bid for bail at his first court appearance in the city’s magistrate’s court and has from the start indicated that he intends pleading guilty to the charges.
At a previous appearance in the magistrate’s court, Zitshu said he “just wants to tell the truth” and admitted that he had previous convictions for robbery and murder, though further details are not yet known.
The state has asked for the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment should he be convicted.
According to the prosecution, Schmidt’s murder was planned or premeditated, and she was killed during the execution of a robbery with aggravating circumstances.
She had celebrated her 40th birthday just two weeks before her horror ordeal.
Schmidt’s family members, none of whom live in Nelson Mandela Bay, were not present at court on Tuesday.
The case was postponed to October 11 for a possible plea.
Zitshu is being represented by Legal Aid SA.
HeraldLIVE
Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.