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Johannesburg – The Randburg Magistrates Court will hear a verdict in the murder trial of slain hip-hop artist, Flabba Habedi in two weeks.
The trial resumed on Monday morning with both the state and the defence giving closing arguments.
Wrapped in a pink scarf, Sindiwe Manqele avoided the gaze of the gallery as she listened to the closing arguments. She stands accused of killing her boyfriend on 9 March.
State prosecutor Paul Schutter opened his final arguments by saying he would only focus on the most vital elements of the case, to prove Sindi had stabbed Flabba with the intent to kill him.
Schutter argued that Sindi had tried to underplay her alcohol intake on the night of the murder, and that her jealousy of Flabba’s ex, Kea, set the mood for the night.
Schutter wrapped up his closing arguments by suggesting that Sindi's version of events should be rejected, disputing her claims that she stabbed Flabba in self-defence, saying Sindi should have anticipated Flabba’s death when she stabbed him.
Sindi’s defence team told the court that the state tried to paint Sindi in a negative light as "that drunken woman who staggered out of the club that evening". They claim Sindi recovered from her initial jealousy of Flabba's ex, and questioned the reliability of the state’s witnesses.
The defence claims Sindi would have stabbed him earlier if the intent was to kill him, but that she didn’t want to hurt him, only to escape from him.
The defence concluded by saying that there was a “reasonable possibility of her (Sindi) explanation being true” and asked for an acquittal.
Judge Solly Sithole asked for the trial to resume on 8 December for final judgement.
