By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Alutha Pasile weeps during a court appearance,Photo Credit:Michael Pinyana.
The Eastern Cape man accused of killing Fort Hare University student, Nosicelo Mtebeni, has pleaded guilty to her murder.
Twenty-five-year-old Alutha Pasile appeared in the East London High Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty on both charges against him, murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Pasile killed the 23-year old Mtebeni before dismembering her body in August this year.
Her torso was found stuffed in a suitcase in Quigney on the corners of Fleet Street and Fitzpatrick Road.
The gruesome discovery was made when a police patrol was alerted by a motorist.
Pasile was arrested the same day at his home nearby where black bags with more body parts, including Mtebeni’s head and hands, were discovered.
The Commission for Gender Equality attended Monday’s court proceedings and stated that a pre-sentencing report had now been requested by the defence – this report will be available on the 2nd of December.
The State proceeded to call their first witness, Dr Solomon Zondi, who has been the Chief Medical Officer at the East London mortuary since 2007.
He told the court that Mtebeni had been dismembered on seven places on her body and sustained multiple stab wounds.
According to Zondi’s testimony, Mtebeni sustained her first wound to her right hand which could have been an indication of her fighting back.
He also stated that her nose was fractured and that both these injuries were inflicted before she died.
The doctor further testified that Mtebeni was dismembered below the hips and just below the knees.
Pasile then cut off her hands and head.
During the proceedings, the state said it sought an increased prison sentence for Pasile.
“The minimum sentence for murder is 15 years imprisonment. However, I have notified the court and the defence that in the events of a conviction, the state will request an increased sentence,” advocate Nickie Turner, for the state, said.
Nosicelo Mtebeni, a Fort Hare University student, was brutally killed in August 2021.