Court awaits medical documents in Nqakula case
The Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court has postponed the case against murder accused Carlos Higuera to next Friday, to give his defence time to attain documents proving his mental illness.
Higuera is accused of killing the son of Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Saturday night.
Chumani Nqakula was stabbed to death in Bezuidenhout Valley in Johannesburg.
Earlier on Wednesday, Magistrate Albertus Roux granted the defence’s application for a postponement to allow time for Higuera’s father to get the relevant medical documents.
He also ordered that Higuera be placed in the medical section of the prison, away from other prisoners.
Roux said Higuera must also be sent for 30 days of psychiatric observation.
Higuera’s father, George Higuera, said he would need a week to obtain the documents which would prove that his son had been to a doctor and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Earlier Roux asked Higuera’s father whether the prison officials were given the medication.
“Yes we gave them,” he said.
Higuera’s father told the court that his son worked with him, but was dependent on him financially.
Higuera’s defence team told the court he had not seemed to understand what had happened to him and wasn’t fit to stand trial because of his mental illness.
The case will be back in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on November 13. - ANA
(File photo: Gallo Images)