Mapaballo Borotho and Kaya News

The Johannesburg High Court has dismissed Bafana Mahungela’s application for the withdrawal of his charges.
This comes after the accused’s lawyers formally requested the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw all charges against their client, following the emergence of significant inconsistencies in the DNA evidence.
The DNA evidence reportedly shows no connection between the alleged suspect and the crime scene.
The case of murder-accused #BafanaMahungela is back at the Johannesburg High Court this morning
— Kaya News (@KayaNews) June 12, 2025
His lawyers have urged the director of public prosecutions to drop charges, pointing to major inconsistencies in DNA evidence.
Mahungela is charged with the murder of Johannesburg… pic.twitter.com/dTNM4mCl1m
Mahungela briefly appeared before the High court on Thursday, 11 June 2025. He is accused of murdering Johannesburg teacher, Kirsten Kluyts.
Now that the court has dismissed his application, Mahungela is expected to sit for trial at the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court in October.
Background of the Case
Mahungela was arrested at a student residence in Parkmore, Johannesburg, in connection with the murder of Kluyts, whose body was discovered in George Lea Park, Sandton, on 29 October 2023.
The charges against him include murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, attempted rape, and defeating the ends of justice.
Kluyts, who was a teacher at Delta Park High School, was found deceased after participating in a local athletic event. She was reportedly 14 weeks pregnant at the time of her murder.
The post-mortem report indicated that Kluyts died from blunt-force head trauma and strangulation.
Mahungela has always maintained that he did not kill the deceased. He only admitted to finding Kluyts’ body and removing her clothes to avoid leaving his DNA.
He said he did not report the discovery due to his lack of trust in police officers.



