Bungled ID parade gets murder-accused acquittal

Lebogang Mosikare | Tuesday March 17, 2020 16:12

 

The accused, Thabani Mapunganyika, was charged for the alleged murder of John Keletsi, a former biology teacher, who was gunned down at the Other Place Bar in Matsiloje on December 20, 2013. 

Mapunganyika and three other Zimbabweans who had escaped from a prison facility at Gerald Estates were also charged with robbing Joel Mpetsane, Masego Sebokolodi and Alec Morula of their cellphones and various amounts of cash at gunpoint.

When delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Bengabame Sechele said that there was a very high possibility that state witnesses managed to see Mapunganyika at Selebi-Phikwe State Prison prior to the mounting of the identification parade.

“The accused’s complicity in the commission of the crime has not been well established and as a result, he is acquitted and discharged of one count of murder and three counts of robbery,” Sechele said.