Murder trial riddled with contradictions

THE testimony of the state in the 2016 murder case involving a Kidd’s Beach detective, Constable Wanda Fose, and his co-accused, Avumile Balfour, is riddled with contradictions.

Magistrate Twanet Olivier is still not sure which version of events was true.

The trial began in the Mdantsane Regional Court 3 this week and by the end of Wednesday Olivier was struggling to piece it all together.

The lead investigator on the case, Captain Samuel Xhamani, an officer of 24 years’ experience, was at pains when he tried to convince Olivier which version to believe.

Olivier pointed out there were three different versions of what really took place on the afternoon of September 11 when Fose’s 22-year-old neighbour Simphiwe Jidana showed up at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen which later resulted in his death.

“The first witness, Fezile Vumazonke, testified that [Fose] entered the deceased’s house and shot the deceased causing him to fall on the bed. Mr Vumazonke then testified that [Fose] and [his cousin Balfour] then dragged the deceased outside the house and tortured him by inserting pliers into the gunshot wound.

“The second witness, Idah Williams, testified that she lived with the deceased in the house but had not noticed any blood on the bed sheets or the floor. [Fose] on the other hand said the deceased shot himself and later came to his house and asked to be taken to hospital,” Olivier said.

Xhamani responded by saying he was adamant Fose, a former police tactical response team member, had shot Jidana after accusing him of breaking into his house and stealing his service pistol.

Fose and Balfour have been in custody September.

The trial was postponed to May 22 for the laboratory results. since