Sebina arson accused wants charges dropped

Lebogang Mosikare | Tuesday May 6, 2014 15:19

 

Appearing briefly before Senior Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu for continuation of trial yesterday, Mcgini Ncube, absolved himself saying that he has spent a lot of time in prison. He complained that the case is progressing at a snail’s pace.

Ncube said that Mandla Simon, who was holding fort for substantive prosecutor Thapelo Mafishane, was said to be attending another case in Serowe.

The case was set for continuation of trial yesterday and today, but Mulalu postponed it to today. Villagers from Sebina and surrounding villages believe that Ncube is responsible for the spate of murders, thefts and arson cases that hit their villages between October 2012 and April 2013.

The third prosecution witness, Detective Constable Wazha Morobosi, said that their efforts to arrest the person/s who committed the crimes hit a snag.

He said the culprit/s always left writings on the ground after he/they burnt down the huts.

“In total nine cases of arson were reported. On August 9 in 2013 at around 2 am we responded to a case in which a hut was burnt to ashes at Sebina Crossing.  “When we got to the crime scene, we realised what looked like an arrow giving directions scribbled on the ground near the hut that was burnt,” said Morobosi.

He further testified that the words “I want sex” were written on the ground.

“We tracked the shoe prints and went towards Mafa lands and found another hut burnt. We inspected the scene and went towards Marobela.

“I was with constables Polai, Paki, Seepi and Molete Magori from Sebina village who reported the case to us,” said Morobosi adding that they found similar shoeprints and Mafa lands.

Said Morobosi: “We found similar shoe prints on our way to Marobela and something written on the ground saying; “I am Charles Nguba and I am back, I want to kill women.”

Morobosi said they followed the shoeprints, which led them to a certain field called Nkhwinya. Upon arrival at Nkhwinya field, Morobosi said they found two men and a woman inside the field.  The men were Ncube and Themba Chuma and their female compatriot, Nanelihle Moyo. He added that they retrieved size nine shoes that were brown and light brown in colour. Under cross-examination from Ncube, Morobosi said that upon arrival at Nkhwinya, Ncube was holding an axe and he tried to escape but they fired warning shots in the air warning him to stop and they also ordered him to lie on the ground.

He added: “The size of the boots we got from Nkhwinya exactly corresponded with the shoe size that Ncube was wearing. I stick by my statement that Ncube voluntarily told us the boots were his.”

Ncube said he put it to Morobosi that the boots belonged to Themba who got them from his boss. Morobosi answered: “The boots that were hidden under the branches were bigger than Chuma’s shoe size. It is an afterthought that he is now denying the boots are his.”

Molete Magori was the fourth prosecution witness. He told the court that he started knowing Ncube after he found him at Nkhwinya field while they were tracing shoe prints they believed to belong to a suspected arsonist.

Like Morobosi, he said the person they were tracing used the same modus operandi after burning the huts.

“I asked him if the shoe prints we were tracking were his and he answered in the affirmative,” said Magori. Ncube said Magori was framing him because he never told him that the shoe prints were his but Magori insisted that Ncube told him that the shoe prints were his. Added Magori: “He even told me that the boots were his.”

Ncube told the court that he had nothing to ask the fifth prosecution witness, Constable Baraedi McDonald, a crime scene investigative detective.

Just like other witnesses, McDonald said he found the same shoeprints at two different yards where huts were burnt when he arrived at the crime scenes.

Prosecutor Mafishane told Senior Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu that the prosecution is left with cross-examining two witnesses from Zimbabwe, the investigations officer and the forensic expert who is on maternity leave.