R v Mlambo

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Judge: Schreiner JA, Steyn JA, Beyers JA, Malan JA and Price AJA
• Judgment Date: 30 September 1957
• Hearing Date: 19 September 1957
• Court: Appellate Division

Schreiner, J.A.:

I would have been satisfied to concur in the judgment of STEYN, J.A., had there not been a difference of opinion between the B members of the Court. As it is I propose to add a few remarks in support of the view that the appellant should have been convicted of culpable homicide and not of murder. In particular I wish to refer to Rex v Dube, 1948 (3) SA 360 (AD), and to what was there said, obiter, about inferring murder or culpable homicide from conduct showing consciousness of guilt.

C The facts in Dube's case were in some respects similar to those in the present case. The appellant had caused the death of a woman and had sought to conceal her body by covering it up with leaves and branches. He tried to discourage persons who were looking for the deceased from searching in the plantation, where he knew the body was lying, by saying D that he had already looked there. He falsely denied all knowledge of her death and accordingly gave no explanation of how it happened, although, of course, he knew. The body was found six days after the disappearance of the deceased and was then in such a state of putrefaction that the medical evidence as to the cause of death was wholly inconclusive. The appellant had been convicted of murder and the matter came before this Court on a question of law,

E 'Whether or not there was legal evidence upon which the Court was entitled to convict.'

This Court was unanimous in deciding this question in favour of the Crown. I ventured, however, to say that had I tried the case I should probably have preferred a verdict of culpable homicide. With this view F TINDALL, A.C.J., and GREENBERG, J.A., disagreed. The day before the deceased's disappearance the appellant had threatened to kill her and this was of course an important factor in the case. TINDALL, A.C.J., however, also regarded the appellant's subsequent conduct, which showed consciousness of guilt, as being inconsistent with his having killed the deceased without intending to do so (see p. 361). But GREENBERG, J.A., G at p. 362, found no reason for disagreeing with the reasons of the trial Judge, who had drawn no inference from the appellant's subsequent conduct. GREENBERG, J.A., said,

'An adequate explanation of all this conduct is that he wished to conceal the fact that he was responsible for her death and it may not be a fair inference to relate his conduct to a realisation on his part, not only that he had unlawfully killed her, but had intended to do so.'

I expressed a similar view at p. 364.

H I am not unmindful of the salutary warning of BOWEN, L.J., in Lyon v Goddard, quoted by WESSELS, J.A., in Veasey v Denver Rock Drill and Machinery Co., 1930 AD 243 at p. 262, against wandering from the facts of the case to be decided into those of another. And the similarity of the facts in Dube's case to those of the present case is, of course, no ground for giving the remarks of GREENBERG, J.A., any

Steyn Ra

special applicability to the question before us. But those remarks at least support the view that, where one does not know what the cause of death was, one is without an important element in arriving at a decision whether or not an unlawful killing was murder. The other indications of an intent to kill must be very strong if they are to make up for this A serious deficiency and leave no reasonable doubt. In the present case I do not find them strong enough.

There was no proved animosity between the deceased and the appellant and his conduct in relation to the deceased's goods was equivocal. It would have been natural for the appellant, if he was planning to kill the deceased for her property, which was apparently of trifling value, to B make arrangements to hide it properly until he could dispose of it. This he did not do. There were no traces of blood anywhere about the bedrooms of the deceased or the appellant, or on any of the clothing of either. No dangerous weapon was found in the appellant's possession, and although serviceable implements would no doubt have been readily C obtainable the known facts are quite consistent with the death having been caused by manhandling without the use of any weapon. Murder is sometimes committed that way, of course, but less commonly than by stabbing with a sharp instrument or striking with a blunt one.

On the facts proved, although I agree that the appellant must have been responsible for the deceased's death, I can find no more than a probability, which does not seem to me to be strong, that in the D circumstances the killing amounted to murder.

I agree with the order proposed by my Brother STEYN.

STEYN, R, A.: Die appellant is daarvan skuldig bevind dat hy Martha Nkosi E op 1 Desember 1956 vermoor het en is tot die dood veroordeel. Uit die staatsgetuienis blyk dit dat beide hy en die oorledene by 'n Mnr. van Kraayenburg op Volksrust in diens was. Hy was die tuinjong en het ook in die kombuis gehelp, terwyl sy 'n huisbediende was. Hul het kamers langs mekaar op die perseel gehad. Daar was ook 'n jong naturel Josef, van sowat agt of nege jaar oud, wat in die kombuis geslaap het. Die aand van F 1 Desember, 'n Saterdagaand, was die appellant in die kombuis besig met boontjies sny terwyl Martha, skynbaar volkome gesond, skottelgoed gewas het. Volgens van Kraayenburg het die appellant vinniger gewerk as gewoonlik en is voor Martha uit. Toe Martha later uit is, het sy aan Josef gesê dat sy daardie aand ook in die kombuis sou kom slaap. G Omstreeks nege uur het van Kraayenburg geleentheid gehad om by die kombuis in te kyk, en toe was net Josef daar. Die volgende oggend om vyfuur was van Kraayenburg weer in die kombuis, terwyl die appellant besig was om die vuur op te maak. Martha was nie daar nie. Toe sy nie opdaag nie het hy die appellant gevra waar sy is. Die appellant, wat voor die stoof op sy hurke gesit het, het verskrik opgespring en vertel H dat daar die vorige aand 'n Johannesburgse huurmotor gekom het.

'Twee kaffers het na Martha se kamer gekom, hulle het baie lekker gesels, ek was later aan die slaap, en toe ek vanmôre wakker word sien ek sy is weg.'

Toe hy gevra is wat van haar goed, het hy geantwoord: 'Sy het alles weg, daar is niks oor nie.' Van Kraayenburg is later na Martha se kamer. Hy sê

Steyn R A

'daar was niks op die wêreld nie behalwe die bed - die 'stretcher' - maar dit was so skoon gevee, so netjies, dat dit gelyk het of daar nooit iemand in gewoon het nie'.

Die Maandag het die appellant ook aan die wasvrou, Ellen Kumalo. vertel dat Martha die Saterdagaand met twee mans in 'n huurmotor weg is. Hy het A dieselfde verduideliking aan Emelina gegee, die bediende wat die Maandag of Dinsdag in Martha se plek kom werk het, maar by 'n latere geleentheid het hy aan Ellen gesê dat Martha in die gevangenis is. In die loop van daardie week was Emelina by hom in sy kamer en daar het hy aan haar 'n paar skoene gegee. Toe sy vind dat die skoene haar nie pas B nie, het hy gesê dat sy dit kan verkoop. Later het dit geblyk dat dit Martha se skoene was. Hy het ook 'n handkoffer wat aan Martha behoort het aan 'n ander getuie, Josephina, vir twee sjielings verkoop. Op die Maandag daarna, d.w.s. op 10 Desember, het Mev. van Kraayenburg in teenwoordigheid van Ellen 'n vermiste kombers, wat Martha soms gebruik het, in sy kamer gaan soek. Sy het dit daar gevind, asook Martha C se eie kombers. Toe sy hom vra waar hy dit gekry het, het hy geantwoord dat hy dit gekoop het. Die volgende dag was Ellen besig om misbredie in die tuin op dieselfde perseel naby 'n komposhoop te pluk. Sy het daar 'n stank teëgekom en 'n streep wurms op die hoop gesien. Die appellant, wat D in die nabyheid was, het aan haar gesê om nie daar misbredie te pluk nie want hy het daar 'n vrot skaapvel begrawe. Emelina het soortgelyke getuienis afgelê, hoewel dit nie heeltemal duidelik is of sy na dieselfde geleentheid verwys nie. Die appellant het 'n verdere krulwa mis gegooi waar die wurms was. Die polisie is ontbied en in die mishoop is die naakte lyk van 'n volwasse vroulike naturel gevind, in so 'n E gevorderde stadium van ontbinding dat dit onmoontlik was om haar aan haar gelaatstrekke uit te ken. Aan haar arm was egter nog 'n armband en op haar bors 'n string krale wat Martha volgens Ellen se getuienis gedra het of...