‘Crime scene changes won’t affect case’
MAJOR changes to the crime scene where Khayelitsha teenager Sinoxolo Mafevuka’s body was found will not affect the State’s case.
This is according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Yesterday, the Western Cape High court conducted an inspection in loco.
Upon arrival court officials were met by a group of demonstrators with placards calling for justice for 19-yearold Mafevuka. However, when the two accused, Athabile Mafilika and Xolisa Mafilika, arrived residents cheered them. When the on-site court proceedings started, it was found that the communal toilets at the SST Block in Town
Two, Khayelitsha had been moved from where they were a year ago when the teenager’s half naked body was discovered. She had been raped, her clothes were stuffed in a cistern.
The change in the environment made it difficult for Constable Nomaphondomise Gobodo, who was the first respondent at the scene, to pinpoint intricate details mentioned in her testimony. Judge Taswell Papier asked for estimation of the distance between the light poles and where the toilets were.
The light poles were a focal point of the defence team’s cross-examination. According to Gobodo, the toilet area was not dark due to lighting from two poles situated 100m and 150m away from the crime scene. NPA provincial spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said changes wouldn’t affect the case. Meanwhile, the Social Justice Coalition SJC called for sexual offence crimes in the SST section to be taken seriously. The trial continues today.