12 Feb 2023

 The defense team in the Turn Rite Mall P2.3m cash heist has notified Broadhurst Magistrate Court of their intention to oppose an affidavit statement from one of the key state witnesses.

The defense lawyer Mr Olehile Manchwe representing Mothusi Matobela and Thapelo Lekobe told magistrate Ms Segomotso Phetogo of Broadhurst Magistrate Court on Friday that they had issues with the affidavit statement of the forensic scientist Tirelo Malope.

He said initially, the state had sent them an unsworn statement of the said witness and they prepared their case using the same statement. Mr Manchwe said to their surprise, they were on Friday served with documents signed and stamped of the same witness.

“In our view these are two different documents and we prepared our trial on the strength of the first document,” he told the court. Another defense attorney, Mr Nkosana Ngwenya for Mzwandile Mazibuko and Ntholephi Elliot Ntshalintshali raised his displeasure about the statement of the forensic scientist. He said the initial statement they were issued with as an affidavit was incompetent.

“That is the issue we are going to deal with and we want to prepare our colleague (state) to prepare himself accordingly,” he said. The four accused Matobela, Lekobe, Mazibuko and Ntshalintshali are charged for robbing G4S Security vehicle cash amounting to P2.3 million.in October 2021

The case next mention would be on 24 March this year. ENDS