Judge Questions Police Handling of Amanda Manku’s Father’s Murder Investigation: “A Big Sad Day”

• The Polokwane High Court heard the double murder trial linked to the deaths of Amanda Manku's mother on Monday, 27 July 2026
• A judge criticised the investigating officer over delays in arresting one of the accused despite evidence already being available
• The officer told the court she locked the case docket away before going to hospital, drawing a stern response from the bench

The double murder trial connected to the family of Skeem Saam actress Amanda Manku took a dramatic turn at the Polokwane High Court on Monday, 27 July 2026, after the presiding judge sharply criticised the way police handled key parts of the investigation.

William Manku, the actress's father and accused number one, is standing trial alongside a co-accused over the murders of Gladys Manku and Lettie Maphothoma, who were killed in May 2021. The proceedings have drawn significant public interest because of the family's connection to the popular television actress.

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Judge presses investigating officer over arrest delay

Court proceedings became tense when the State's investigating officer was questioned about why accused number one was not arrested earlier.

The defence argued that the State only acted after obtaining a statement from accused number two, suggesting there was not enough evidence to justify an earlier arrest.

The investigating officer rejected that claim, telling the court that investigators already had substantial evidence, including cellphone records, bank statements and postmortem reports. She maintained that the investigation was still ongoing at the time.

Officer explains why the docket was locked away

The court also heard that after accused number two was transferred to Polokwane on an unrelated matter, the investigating officer became ill.

She testified that she locked the case docket in a cupboard before being admitted to hospital. After she was discharged, she contacted her commander and informed him that she wanted to continue handling the matter herself rather than hand it over to another investigator. According to her testimony, her commander agreed with that approach.

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The explanation prompted a strong reaction from the judge, who questioned whether an accused person could effectively remain in custody simply because the investigating officer was unavailable.

Cross-examination of the investigating officer is expected to continue as the defence challenges the sequence of events that led to the arrests in the closely watched murder trial.

Amanda Manku exposes her father in court

Meanwhile, Briefly News previously reported that Amanda Manku became the talk of the town after exposing her father in court.

According to media reports, the Skeem Saam actress revealed her father's confession in court on Friday, 6 February 2026.

Source: Briefly News