Buthelezi pleads not guilty, claims memory loss in Keppler’s murder

Former police constable, Mandla Buthelezi, has pleaded not guilty to all charges relating to the murder of Gauteng traffic warden, Chesney Keppler, telling the Johannesburg High Court he has no recollection of the night the 22-year-old was killed.

In a Section 115 plea explanation read by his attorney, Sphamandla Madinane, Buthelezi said he spent Christmas Day in 2024 drinking alcohol at a car wash before attending a Christmas party in Eldorado Park.

He told the court that he consumed several alcoholic drinks, blacked out and cannot remember what happened later that night.

Buthelezi said he only became aware of the shooting the following day after receiving messages on his cellphone.

The plea was entered as the long-awaited murder trial finally got underway after months of delays and the collopse of a proposed plea agreement.

The State’s first witness, Jayden Apolis, a close friend of Keppler, later testified about the events leading up to the shooting.

Apolis told the court that she and Keppler spent Christmas Day together before Buthelezi allegedly arrived at a gathering in a marked law enforcement vehicle. She said he later came to her home and repeatedly called Keppler outside, but she refused to go.

According to Apolis, Buthelezi later returned, grabbed Keppler by her ponytail, dragged her towards a vehicle and assaulted her before friends intervened and pulled her away.

Apolis testified that moments later they heard four to five gunshots. When they went outside, Keppler had been shot.

Buthelezi is accused of murdering Keppler on Boxing Day in 2024 and allegedly attempting to take his own life shortly afterwards.

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe