Pretoria - The community of Mamelodi West will have to wait a bit longer to find out what led the husband of police academy graduate Phenderia Botshelo Phora to allegedly kill her on the first day of the new year.
Thuso Phora, who is attached to the K9-Unit at Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in Pretoria, appeared briefly in the Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court earlier today after proceedings had to be postponed last week to enable him to appoint the services of a legal representative.
While he managed to appear in court with his legal counsel today, the representative requested the matter be postponed again to enable him to consult with Phora.
A family friend said the family was struggling to come to terms with the death especially after they buried her (the wife) over the weekend.
"We buried her this past Saturday but the family is battling to accept what happened to her. It's been especially hard for her mother and she even had to go to the doctor as she's been stressing about this."
The friend said the only fear for the family was if Phora remains behind bars and attempts to take his life as he had attempted to do so after killing his wife.
"They went to court and heard about him (the husband) possibly going for psychiatric evaluation and they're worried he might try to commit suicide again, but we're hoping that everything proceeds so that the family can see justice one day."
Phora, a police graduate who completed her training in November, was found strangled with a cable, allegedly by her husband, on January 1.
Her body was discovered on January 2, with the husband arrested by the police after he was discharged from hospital after apparently attempting to commit suicide.
According to family friend Itumeleng Makoro, she believed what may have led Phora's husband to commit such a crime was due to the fact that he was unhappy with the fact that his wife had joined the police force.
Phora was allegedly upset that his wife had joined the police under the pretext of doing a short course and had accepted a post at the national SAPS office following her graduation.
The matter will return to court on February 14
Pretoria News