A South African lawyer Thubelihle Sbonakaliso Mpisi has opted to represent himself in his pretrial court appearance. He is charged of killing his fiancée and setting her body on fire.
Mpisi announced his decision on Wednesday in the Johannesburg High Court. He was arrested in June of last year, four months after it was discovered that his child’s mother had died and that her body had been completely burned in her car in Midrand.
According to reports, Mpisi has not had a lawyer since March after Paul T. Leisher & Associates, a criminal defense firm, withdrew its services due to financial difficulties. Mpisi had previously appeared in the Alexandra magistrate’s court, represented by the aforementioned business.
In a recent development, Mpisi petitioned for disclosure of the case docket, to which the National Prosecuting Authority affirmed its commitment to furnish the requisite files.
Law enforcement authorities have determined that Rabalao was murdered prior to the immolation of her remains. Mpisi had previously forgone a bail application pending the finalization of a DNA analysis concerning blood traces discovered at the couple’s residence during the investigative process.
A kin of the deceased businesswoman and IT specialist conveyed to TimesLIVE that Rabalao perished while contemplating relocation from the shared apartment she occupied with Mpisi, citing discord within their relationship.
ALSO READ:Check out how Banna tribe outsmarts venomous snakes by using stilts for walking.
Mpisi’s arrest reverberated as a shockwave among Rabalao’s family members, professional acquaintances, and a substantial following on social media platforms, where he was depicted as an affectionate partner. Shortly following Rabalao’s demise, Mpisi created a commemorative video portraying a harmonious familial existence.
He inscribed: “Rest in peace, my love. The pain I’m in is so deep. I don’t know where to begin to start picking up the pieces. How do I raise * ungekho [without you]? I thank God for giving me the time we’ve shared together. Nothing can take that away.”
Mpisi is scheduled to reappear in court on May 31st.
Mpisi, 31, is a graduate of the University of Pretoria with an LLB. He studied mining law at the University of the Witwatersrand for his postgraduate degree, where he met Rabalao in 2018–2019. He revealed that he had previously worked with Adams & Adams Attorneys in Pretoria.
