Durban — In October, the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court will continue hearing the trial against a man who had been previously charged with the murders of two women who lived across from each other.
Lindokuhle Rowan Mwethu Beni, 45, who is suspected of being a serial rapist and killer operating in the Queensburgh area, is on trial accused of housebreaking with the intent to rape, housebreaking with the intent to steal, and robbery as well as rape.
The State provisionally withdrew the two murder charges and another count of rape while investigations continued.
Malvern residents 40-year-old Evidence Ntombifikile Seager and 72-year-old Savithree Moodley were murdered in 2022 within months of each other. The two lived a stone’s throw away from each other.
Seager’s body was found not far from her home. She had been stabbed 12 times in the chest and had handcuffs around her ankles, and she allegedly had been raped.
Items allegedly stolen from Seager’s home were found on the accused when he was arrested.
He was allegedly wearing clothing items that belonged to Seager’s brother, whom she lived with.
Moodley was found murdered in her home with stab wounds to her chest.
It’s alleged that Beni has made it hard for police to link him to the cases as he cleaned the scenes and his victims with sanitiser after the crime to eliminate DNA.
When his trial started in February, Beni pleaded not guilty to housebreaking with the intent to rape, housebreaking with the intent to steal, and robbery as well as rape.
Since then, the trial has been marred by delays including a power outage and the courtroom’s recording machine not working.
It was due to the courtroom’s recording machine not working that the woman he allegedly raped broke down in court.
She explained to the Daily News that she had asked the prosecution to testify in a separate room while the court observed on a monitor.
“I did not want to be in the same room as him. I had asked for that,” she said.
She also indicated her eagerness to have the trial reach finality.
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