A 43-year-old man, who allegedly murdered his wife and buried her remains underneath the bathtub, has been denied bail.

On Wednesday, the Butterworth Magistrate's Court refused bail to Yibanathi MacGyver Ndema, who is charged with premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.

It is alleged that Ndema killed his wife, Noluvuyo Nonkwelo, 36, at their marital home in the Zingqayi area of the district of Butterworth on 1 July 2019.  

On 3 July 2019, he reported his wife missing to the police.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Ndema was arrested in August this year after Nonkwelo's remains were found buried underneath a bathtub, in the bathroom of the house the couple shared. 

"The couple's children alerted their grandparents that, since their mother's disappearance, the bath tub had been repositioned. That prompted the police to search Ndema's home, leading to the discovery of the remains, buried along with hospital cards and pregnancy results bearing the name of the deceased," Tyali added.

DNA results confirmed the remains were indeed those of Nonkwelo and had since been released to her family for a proper burial.

Ndema made his second court appearance in September. He abandoned bail, but at a later stage made an about-turn and wanted to be released.

His attorney contended that the charge was a schedule 5 offence, in that it was not premeditated murder, said Tyali. 

Ndema distanced himself from a confession he made to the police, in which he admitted that he had murdered his wife because she was having an extramarital affair.

The prosecutor, Andile Tembani, submitted a confirmation from the Director of Public Prosecutions to the effect that Ndema's alleged offence is a schedule 6 offence, which was accepted by the court. 

"It transpired, during Ndema's application, that his wife once opened a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm against him, and was granted a protection order in January 2019. Both the case and the protection order were later withdrawn," Tyali added.

While delivering judgment on bail, the magistrate, Lundi Qangule, agreed with the prosecutor that releasing Ndema on bail would not be in the interests of justice and society.