On Tuesday things did not start off as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) would have wished. This, as some of the witnesses disputed the police submission on the chain of events, allegedly linking both the murder accused, Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa.

One witness, Boy Khambule, disputed the police version that he said he saw Mahlamba and Matlaletsa in the company of another unidentified man descending from the direction where Horner was murdered. Khambule told the presiding judge, Cagney Musi, that he was not party to the crafting of the witness affidavit detailing events of Horner’s murder.

Meanwhile, on day three of the trial, the state is on Wednesday expected to call police officials to the witness box.

In 2020, during the bail hearing at the Senekal Magistrate's court, an investigating officer told the court that a witness had informed them that he saw Mahlamba’s bloodied clothes, whilst Matlaletsa’s clothes were wet. But during the turn of events on the second day of the trial, Khambule refuted any knowledge of a statement made by the police and said he only saw them from far away, at least 70 meters in distance.

The duo, which is out on R5000 bail, faces charges of robbery, murder, and stock theft following the murder of Horner in October 2020.

They were arrested two days afterwards. OFM News previously reported the state's DNA test results of blood samples taken from the accused’s clothes, came back negative and did not match Horner's blood.

READ MORE: #BrendinHorner: 'DNA results do not link suspects'

The first prosecutor also removed himself from the case a few weeks after the DNA results came back negative. Mahlamba and Matlaletsa pleaded not guilty to the murder and robbery charges.

READ MORE: #BrendinHorner: Prosecutor removed himself from murder case

OFM News