Wife murder accused granted bail

By Sharika Regchand

A Howick resident who is accused of murdering his wife was granted bail of R20 000 in the Pietermaritzburg magistrate's court on Wednesday.

Sunesh Manilall, 34, is alleged to have plotted the murder of his wife, Monika, who was shot and killed at her Howick home on February 3, 2006.

Manilall stands charged with the murder along with his new wife, Mumtaz Osman, who was arrested last year.

Manilall and another man, Victor Mbatha, were arrested last week for the murder.

Another accused in the matter, Siyabonga Mdlalose, was sentenced to life imprisonment in January this year after admitting that he had been hired to kill Monika Manilall. He said the killers were promised R10 000 to carry out the murder.

Mdlalose said Monika Manilall had been playing with her 1-year-old daughter when he and his accomplices had entered the house to kill her.

He also said that Osman and Mbatha had taken the killers to Monika Manilall's home on the day of the murder.

Mdlalose said he had been recruited for the killing by a former co-accused, who had since died.

Altogether seven people have been implicated in the murder - Manilall and his new wife, Osman, who were the alleged masterminds, Mbatha, Mdlalose, two men who have since died and another man who has turned state witness.

sharika.regchand@inl.co.za

• This article was originally published on page 5 of The Mercury on March 27, 2008