Murder, rape accused demands DNA expert

THE man accused of raping and murdering 4-yearold Iyapha Yamile wants an independent DNA expert to test exhibits the police found at the scene, including the child’s underwear, cigarette butts and the bags into which the dead girl was stuffed.

Iyapha’s body was found stuffed in a plastic bag in Town Two in Khayelitsha in May last year.

Iyapha had gone missing on April 30 while playing outside her aunt’s house.

Her body was discovered the next morning.

One of the four men initially arrested in connection with the murder was the father of the friend she had been playing with at the time of her disappearance.

The shack of the accused, Odwa Nkololo, 29, was set alight and destroyed by residents. Three other suspects were released due to inconclusive DNA evidence.

Nkololo’s defence counsel, Susanna Kuun, said: “My instructions from the accused is that we have to do private DNA testings.”

Earlier, DNA expert Kirstie Heynes testified that blood samples found on the panties did not match Iyapha but Nkololo.

“The blood found on the (underwear) was that of the accused,” said Heynes.

She said there were 16 other profiles of potential suspects that were found after comparing the DNA found on the underwear with the laboratory’s profile of suspects.

“There were a lot of other suspects (and) there were other people who were arrested,” she said.

She said two bags were found at the scene, one with “clear fluids” and the other bag was used to hold Iyapha.

Iyapha’s father, Danile Ngongoshe, said the family remained distraught over her brutal death.

Ngongoshe said that even though the family had attended counselling sessions, they were still feeling the pain and missing their daughter.

The case was postponed to May 2 for the investigating officer to testify.