You knew about accident before body was found – lawyer

MATSAPHA – A witness, Silindile Makhanya has been accused that she allegedly knew that Thabani Nkomonye was involved in an alleged car accident even before his body was found.

The accusation was made by Lawyer Mangaliso Nkomondze, who claimed that this was because her father, Mathokoza, had allegedly told her that.

Initially, the lawyer asked the witness to narrate to the Coroner, Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini, what she knew about the death of Nkomonye. The witness submitted that she knew that Nkomonye was allegedly involved in a car accident on a Saturday (May 8, 2021) at Skom, near her parental homestead at Nhlambeni.

The lawyer asked how Silindile knew this and she claimed that on the Saturday she heard that there was an accident that happened and on the first Monday after the car crash, she learnt on social media that the person who was involved in the accident was Nkomonye.

Thereafter, the lawyer asked her what exactly did she read on social media about the matter and she alleged that it was said that Nkomonye was allegedly involved in an accident while he was purportedly being chased by the police and the #JusticeForThabani hashtag supposedly started circulating.

After that, the lawyer told the witness that on the Monday of May 10, 2021, which she claimed she read about the matter (Nkomonye being involved in the accident) on Facebook for the first time, her father told the coroner that he searched for the deceased’s body at the scene, but in vain. He added that instead, her father submitted that he found a tyre belonging to the car that was driven by the deceased. He asked her if he knew anything about this and she responded to the negative.

The lawyer then told her that evidence was that Nkomonye’s body was found on Thursday May 13, 2021. He asked her if she was aware of that and she responded to the positive. She submitted that on that day at around 11am, she was going to town (Manzini) and she saw a lot of the people around the accident scene.

Coroner

Again, Lawyer Nkomondze asked her that when she passed the accident scene around 11am, it was after the Monday (of May 10, 2021), which she told the coroner it was when he learnt it was Nkomonye who was involved in the accident. Her response was to the positive.

Thereafter, the lawyer told her evidence was that on the first Monday after the day of the alleged accident, Nkomonye’s body had not been found and his family did not know that he was allegedly involved in an accident next to her parental home (at Nhlambeni).

He then asked her how she knew that it was Nkomonye who was involved in the alleged accident. Silindile maintained that she learnt about if from social media when the #JusticeForThabani tag started trending.

Furthermore, Nkomondze asked the witness where her father was when the deceased’s body was found on May 13, 2021, and she submitted that she thought he was at the scene. When Silindile was asked what made her to think so, the witness submitted that as a person who allegedly witnessed the accident, he would be needed if there was something happening at the scene.

Again, the lawyer reminded the witness that the deceased’s body was found after the Monday. He then added that everyone else got to know that Thursday (May 13, 2021) the accident which her father allegedly witnessed, involved Nkomonye.

“It seems you had knowledge about the accident before the body of the deceased was found,” the lawyer said.

However, the witness submitted that she might not be sure of the day she learnt about the name of the person who was involved in the said accident because it happened a long time ago and she was having a busy weekend.

Thereafter, the lawyer asked Silindile if she would find him to be unreasonable if he could say that by Monday May 10, 2021, she knew that it was Nkomonye who was involved in the accident because her father had allegedly told her. However, the witness claimed that she did not know anything.