Karabo case transferred to high court
Businessman Mantsoe goes on trial for murder
The prosecution in the Karabo Mokoena murder case has lined up 20 witnesses against Sandile Mantsoe when his case sits before the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg next month.
Mantsoe is charged with murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, defeating or obstruction to the administration of justice.
Mantsoe appeared before magistrate Piet du Plessis wearing a peach polo-neck, grey blazer, scarf and blue jeans at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Du Plessis said: “Served on you today is the indictment for the trial. There is also a summary of evidence and list of witnesses. Your case has been transferred formally to 15 of September 2017 and you have been transferred in custody to the Johannesburg High Court.”
A spanner was thrown into the works when the indictment revealed that the autopsy had not found the conclusive cause of Mokoena’s death.
The indictment read: “The accused and deceased were once in a relationship that had ended prior to her being murdered on March 27 2017, the accused assaulted the deceased to the extent that she was admitted to hospital. On April 27 the deceased went to the accused’s place and never went back home, on 28 April 2017 the accused murdered the deceased and disposed of her corpse by burning it…”
Mantsoe was arrested about two weeks after Mokoena’s charred remains were found on April 29 in a Lyndhurst park. Mokoena had been reported missing by her family in Diepkloof.
The forex trader’s bail application revealed that he is estranged from his wife and has fathered three children.
Mantsoe has pleaded not guilty to all counts, saying that Mokoena had committed suicide and he disposed of her body out of fear as she had already painted him as an abusive man.