Cape Town - The trial of Babsy Ntamehlo continued in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday where Lukho Tsipa testified that his sister received threatening messages before she was murdered.
Ntamehlo, 42, is charged with the murder of his 35-year-old wife Nosicelo Tsipa, who was strangled to death in September 2020. Ntamehlo was arrested after her partially burnt body was discovered in a shallow grave along the Mosselbank River.
Tsipa on Wednesday took the stand to give details surrounding the strained relationship between Ntamehlo and his wife.
He was questioned by State advocate Megan September and told the court that his sister was responsible for his maintenance after their parents died and she continued to care for him when he moved in with her in 2016.
Tsipa told the court they moved to Greenville, Fisantekraal, in 2018 and by that time the relationship between his sister and Ntamehlo was been tense.
From his observations, the married couple would try to hide their marital issues, changing the topic when he caught them arguing.
Tsipa said his sister was not the type of person to disappear without saying anything. He said there was no noticeable change in behaviour between the couple before he left them together on the evening she went missing, but that Ntamehlo had been drinking alcohol.
Tsipa testified that he last saw his sister alive when he left the house after 8pm on Sunday September 6, 2020, and returned two hours later to find she was not home. After he fell asleep he heard someone pushing a wheelie bin outside.
Ntamehlo later entered at around 3am the next day and used the shower tap in the bathroom.
He described Nosicelo as a loving person, who loved spending time with friends and enjoyed going to church. It was revealed in court that she received threatening messages on her mobile phone before she died.