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#PrellerSquareShooting: State witness accused of trying to save himself

───   LUCKY NKUYANE 08:50 Wed, 27 Nov 2019

#PrellerSquareShooting: State witness accused of trying to save himself | News Article

The defence attorney, Dawie Reyneke, representing accused number 7, a disbarred advocate Karabo Tau, has accused a state witness of using his testimony to save his own skin.


In the murder trial of CityMed MD, Louis Siemens, in the Bloemfontein High Court on Tuesday 26 November, Reyneke says Molefi Benedict Koebu, the former policeman who is currently testifying, is intentionally incriminating his client and accused number 8, Sizwe Mpati, to save himself from prosecution. 

Koebu was driving Mpati’s vehicle from Botshabelo to Bloemfontein during their arrest in 2018, along with Tau, Mpati and a "Mr Diba", for kidnapping, assault and the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The charges were later withdrawn against all of the accused. 

Reyneke says in his four different statements written in 2018 and 2019, which include three different supplementary ones, he makes no mention of other matters that may directly implicate himself because he wants to falsely implicate the said accused. Koebu told the court that he once met Tau and Mpati and the duo coerced him to speak to someone within the SAPS to squash the said case because of a gun found in Mpati's vehicle. This gun was allegedly also involved in the murder of Siemens in May 2018 at the Preller Square basement parking.

Reyneke says the more troubles he had, the more information he gave to the police. The two men, Tau and Mpati, have been indirectly linked to the murder of Siemens, who was assassinated in the basement parking area of Preller Square in May 2018. They are alleged to have used the same gun that was used to murder the City Med Managing Director, in a separate crime months later.

The duo drove to Botshabelo where they allegedly kidnapped two residents in the area, assaulted them and then robbed them of money. Tau and Mpati ended up driving back to Bloemfontein with one of the victims in the car boot and were arrested for the crime in Heidedal on August 18 after police received a tip-off.

Meanwhile, Koebu says Mpati also later told him that he received a call from Siemens’ murder investigating officer, Sergent Buyisile Jona, and he immediately realised how nervous Mpati was when he told him about the planned meeting with Jona. Koebu, who is currently testifying in the murder trial of Siemens in the Bloemfontein High Court, says he advised Mpati to meet with Jona and that Mpati later that day met with Tau at the Bon Hotel in Bloemfontein to discuss the call from Jona. He says Tau, in this discussion, advised Mpati to tell Jona that the gun found in his car was left there by "Mr Botha”, now known as the confessed shooter of Siemens, Xolisile Mbebetho. Koebu says while Tau and Mpati were having a conversation about the alleged Siemens murder weapon, he then got angry and queried the two about their involvement in the murder of Siemens but the two did not give him any answers. Koebu adds that while Tau and Mpati were in custody at Grootvlei prison in Bfn following their arrest for their alleged involvement in the murder of Siemens, he received a call from Tau and instructing him to run away from the police. He further adds that during that call Tau told him to make sure that he does not get arrested until he (Tau) and Mpati are released on bail. Koebu, however, says he told Tau that he would not run away from the police because he had nothing to hide.

Bakili is joined by Molebatsi Mogoera, Kagiso Chabane, Mojalefa “Jali” Molusi, Moeketsi Lesia, Clive Tshivenga, Karabo Tau, and Sizwe Mpati as the accused in the dock. The men who are between the ages of 29 and 56, and include three police officers, a disbarred advocate, an accused in separate double murder cases, and a military man are alleged to have played varying roles in orchestrating Siemens’ murder.

 

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