Police officer and cellphone analyst, Moses Mabasa, exposed damning picture evidence in the High Court in Pretoria against one of the men accused of brutally killing former Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa in an alleged botched robbery.
Pictures of items such as guns, ammunition, an axe, a panga and bundles of money, are some of the things that were found on a phone belonging to accused number three, Mthobisi Mncube.
Mabasa told the court that on August 17, 2020, he received a folder that had a device, SIM card and memory card that belonged to Mncube and he downloaded all the pictures which were on the phone.
He said he only compiled pictures which the investigating officer had directed him to save.
These were pictures of him in dreadlocks including images of guns and money.
Mncube’s pictures in dreadlocks were significant as witnesses testified that one of the intruders had dreadlocks when Meyiwa was shot.
After Meyiwa’s murder, a facial composite of a man in dreadlocks was circulated in an effort to arrest the killers.
On Tuesday, advocate Charles Mnisi who is representing Mncube, tried to discredit Mabasa’s credibility by asking him if he was sure that the man on one of the photos he compiled had dreadlocks.
Mabasa said he was sure because the hairstyle looked like dreadlocks.
“So are you a stylist?” asked Mnisi.
The question was objected by State prosecutor George Baloyi saying he doesn’t understand Mnisi’s line of questioning.
Mnisi explained that he was trying to establish Mabasa’s credibility.
A back and forth ensued concerning Mnisi’s question regarding what Mabasa had said earlier about one of the pictures where Mncube supposedly had dreadlocks.
Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng interjected and asked that a book be brought in court which will help guide the cross-examination.
Mnisi will continue with cross-examination on Wednesday.
IOL