Compiled by Anita Dangazele
- The Johannesburg High Court found Bafana Mahungela, 23, guilty of murder, kidnapping, robbery and attempted rape in the death of teacher Kirsten Kluyts.
- Kluyts, who was 14 weeks pregnant, was killed while taking part in a running event at George Lea Park, Sandton, in October 2023.
Bafana Mahungela has been found guilty of murdering Sandton teacher Kirsten Kluyts, nearly three years after her death.
Judge Ian Cox delivered the judgment at the Johannesburg High Court on Friday, convicting Mahungela, 23, on all charges: kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, murder and attempted rape. Mahungela had pleaded not guilty throughout the trial and represented himself in court.
Kluyts, a teacher at Delta Park High School, was 14 weeks pregnant when she died. She was killed on 29 October 2023 while taking part in a running event at George Lea Park in Sandton. Her body was found in a secluded area off the running track. A post-mortem found she died from blunt force trauma and strangulation.
Mahungela was arrested in November 2023 at a student residence in Parkmore, after surveillance footage showed him leaving the scene wearing an item of Kluyts’ clothing. During the trial, he admitted to taking her clothes and belongings, saying he did so to avoid being implicated, but denied committing any crime against her.
Reacting to the verdict, Mahungela, who represented himself, suggested the court had misled him.
“After this whole process of the charges, I’m not sure that I want to stand for myself, because during the trial I was standing for myself under your care, and here I am, guilty of all charges,” he said.
The case has been postponed to 27 October for sentencing arguments.
Pictured above: Bafana Mahungela has been found guilty of murdering pregnant Sandton teacher Kirsten Kluyts.
Image source:File
