Murdered mom's car chopped, sold
2012-11-06 22:15
Pretoria - A murdered Pretoria North mother's car was chopped up, the parts sold and the rest burnt within a day after her murder, the High Court in Pretoria heard on Tuesday.
Witness Jacob Molapo testified in the trial of Sipho Masiqa, 34, Raymond Matshaba, 27 and Bradley Molefe, 34, who are accused of murdering Thifhelimbilu Mashau, her 8-month-old baby Avheani, and 4-year-old daughter Adivhaho.
The three have pleaded not guilty to the three murders, as well as to charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and rape.
The State alleges they strangled the two children and robbed their mother of her car and other goods at their Theresa Park home before taking her to Ga-Rankuwa, where they raped and murdered her.
Molapo testified that Matshaba had on 1 August 2010 asked him for a place to store a red Volkswagen Polo, which he said belonged to him.
Matshaba parked the car in his yard and the next day dismantled the doors with tools borrowed from Molapo. When Molapo returned home after work he saw the car's doors, engine and seats had been stripped.
Molapo became suspicious and asked Matshaba why he would chop up his own car. Matshaba said he wanted to sell the parts.
"He wanted to burn the car in my yard, but I refused. Later that night his friend arrived and they pulled the car into the veld. He said they were going to burn the car.
"I said why don't they just leave the car, then the police can find it. He said he's going to burn it because he wants to delete the fingerprints," Molapo said.
The court also heard evidence that Matshaba later pointed out various car parts to the police.
Warrant Officer Rufus Baloyi, who identified Mashau's body, testified that he had known her from an armed robbery investigation in which Mashau had been the victim.
Mashau had laid a complaint after being robbed at gunpoint of her cellphone, cash and a laptop in June 2010, a month before she was murdered, he said.
The trial continues.
- SAPA
