Skeem Saam actress’ dad trial: Psychiatric report drama

THE murder trial involving Skeem Saam actress Amanda Manku’s dad, William Manku, has been postponed again after a key witness’ psychiatric report failed to reach the court in time.

Manku (53) and his co-accused, David Khoza (40), made a brief appearance in the Polokwane High Court on Monday, 26 May.

However, the case couldn’t go ahead due to the missing psychiatric report, according to Mashudu Malabi-Ndzangi, spokeswoman for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo.

“The matter couldn’t proceed as they’re still waiting for the psychiatrist evaluation report. It will be in court on 29 May 2025,” she confirmed.

The trial has faced many delays and emotional setbacks, especially for actress Amanda Manku and other family members.

The latest disruption follows a dramatic incident on 14 May 2025, when Amanda’s uncle, who is also a witness appeared in court with a swollen face and was sent for psychiatric evaluation after claiming he couldn’t remember his February testimony.

The man, a brother to the late Gladys Manku and son of the late Lettie Maphothoma, both of whom were brutally murdered in May 2021, is a crucial witness in the case.

His sudden memory loss and physical condition raised alarm in the courtroom, prompting Judge Marisa Naude-Ondendaal to stop proceedings and express worry about his mental fitness to testify.

Although the witness first blamed his injuries on an unrelated accident and said he could continue, his confused testimony forced the court to seek a psychiatric evaluation to check if he could continue under cross-examination.

During that hearing, Judge Naude-Ondendaal also said she was worried about a pattern of disruptions in criminal trials.

“The issue we are encountering today has been recurring in several trials,” she said to the prosecutor.

“It’s not normal that in five matters over the course of two months, this keeps happening. Something is wrong, and it can’t continue like this. Something must be done.”