Jones Maluleke
Thulani Ngcobo, popularly known as Pitch Black Afro, has been remanded in custody pending the verification of his home address. His case was postponed to today.
Media was not allowed to take pictures or video during the proceedings. Pitch Black Afro appeared startled when he entered the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court dock on Thursday afternoon.
The rapper, whose real name is Thulani Ngcobo, has been charged with murder, premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice over the alleged killing of his wife, Catherine Modisane.
The Matofotofo hitmaker was co-operative with the magistrate, who explained the charges he was facing. The case took a while to be placed on the court roll as the docket was still being decided on.
Ngcobo handed some papers to one of his friends in the courtroom, asking him to take care of the documents.
Magistrate Lucas van der Schyff told Ngcobo that he needed a legal representative for the case. Ngcobo indicated he doesn’t have money as he would be taking Legal Aid services to help him if he did. Van der Schyff explained that the minimum sentence for a murder conviction was life imprisonment.
There seemed to be no family members as the room was filled with journalists and only a few friends.
Ngcobo’s wife passed away on December 31st, and the events leading up to her death allegedly do not add up. Her loved ones demand answers.
An anonymous source told reporters that Ngcobo and Trisha spent New Year’s Eve at an apartment in Bellevue, Johannesburg, with their friends. They had been drinking and a “small argument” broke out. The couple left soon after. They had booked into a bed and breakfast for the night, but Trisha ran back to the apartment, barefoot and “looking disturbed.” She spent the night with her friends and was escorted back to the bed and breakfast in the morning.
Ngcobo then called his friends later that morning and said his wife had bruises all over her face and wasn’t breathing. He assumed she was sleeping. Ngcobo asked his friends to inform the authorities and call an ambulance.
Modisane’s funeral was set to take place in Meadowlands, Soweto, followed by a memorial service.
