The judge in the Palesa Madiba murder case on Friday commended the State’s witnesses, saying their compelling evidence led to a conviction in the case.
Dumisani Mkhwanazi was found guilty of the 19-year-old’s murder as well as on charges of defeating the ends of justice by burying her body.
Madiba was last seen at her friend Matshidiso Mkhwanazi’s home in Phiri, Soweto in 2013.
Mkhwanazi’s uncle, Dumisani, was the last person to see her but claimed she left the house.
Judge Prince Manyathi read the evidence by one of the State’s witnesses, the accused’s friend, who told the court how Mkhwanazi confessed to the crime.
“According to him, the accused was angry when he asked that particular question. But in the end, he actually got the answer from him which the accused stated that he had crashed her,” Manyathi said,
The judge also referred to the testimony of a man who worked as a caretaker at Mkhwanazi’s home. He told the court how he noticed a hump in the ground that was shoddily covered with tiles.
Judge Manyathi said the witnesses were credible and reliable, saying that he believed these testimonies. He said neither of the men had a reason to lie.
-EWN
