Cross-examination of the State’s first witness resumes at the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday, with Advocate Nardus Grové yet to conclude his questioning of security officer Bethwell Mzamo Cele on behalf of accused No 2, Tiego Mabusela.
Wednesday ended with Cele under sustained pressure over differences between his sworn statements, and with the witness himself alleging that police had altered his account, telling the court “this is fraud.”
Whether Grové returns to that allegation today, and how far he presses it, is the first thing to watch.
A State witness accusing investigators of tampering opens a door the defence may want to walk through, since it goes not just to Cele’s reliability but to the integrity of the police investigation itself.
Once Grové finishes, counsel for accused No 3, Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, is expected to cross-examine.
That is the more significant moment, because Matlala is the central accused and his counsel’s line of attack will signal the defence’s core theory, whether it stays on the identification weakness Cele has already conceded, or shifts to the investigation.
After the remaining accused’s counsel have had their turn, the State will re-examine.
That is where the prosecution gets to repair the ground it has lost, the timing discrepancy, the omission about shots being fired at Cele, and, most delicately, how it deals with its own witness’s accusation against the police.
Still unresolved from Wednesday.
Whether an inspection in loco will be held, and if so whether it must take place during the day or at night to match the conditions Cele described.
It also remains unclear when the State’s key witness, taxi tycoon Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, will take the stand.
