Heated cross examination in Jub Jub case

2011-06-21 12:41

Johannesburg - Molema "Jub Jub" Maarohanye's lawyer on Tuesday accused a police officer of "lying" and "playing games" during the musician's murder trial in the Protea Magistrate's Court.

Ike Motloung was cross examining an officer from the crime intelligence cyber unit. Magistrate Brian Nemabidi ordered that the man not be named for "security reasons".

The sergeant was responsible for copying a downloaded version of a cellphone recording onto a DVD, showing Maarohanye and his co-accused Temba Tshabalala allegedly drag racing.

The DVD footage was again played to the court on Tuesday.

Motloung charged the policeman was "lying" about where the request to put the recording on DVD came from.

"I'm asking you a simple question, why did you originally say that the request [to put the recording on DVD] came from the IO (investigating officer)? You're lying, aren't you?

‘Playing games’

"You are trying to play games with me. You think you can hide easily." He also dissected the process the officer used to put the recording onto the DVD.

During a short adjournment, family members of the victims began yelling at Motloung.

"This is not a joke," one of them shouted.

"For the sake of what happened, please calm down," a court official said. The footage belongs to an 18-year-old witness testifying against the two men.

Ntokozo Mahlangu previously said she refused to give the defence her cellphone's memory card, as it had private data on it.

Motloung said at the last court appearance he wanted his own expert to analyse the cellphone and memory card.

State prosecutor Raymond Mathenjwa objected to Motloung's application and asked the magistrate to wait until the police technical support unit (TSU) testified.

He said it was "not safe" to release the cellphone, which was already evidence in the case, until the TSU had testified.

The credibility of the recording had also been questioned a number of times.

Maarohanye and Tshabalala face charges of murder, attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

They were allegedly drag-racing when one of their Mini Coopers ploughed into a group of schoolchildren in Mdlalose Street, in Protea North, on March 8 last year.

Four children were killed and two others suffered severe injuries, including brain damage.

- SAPA