Mantsoe’s defence dithers as witnesses cast more doubts
THE DEFENCE team in the case of slain Soweto woman, Karabo Mokoena, wants more time to explore their options, as evidence by new witnesses cast more doubt on the claims by the accused, Sandile Mantsoe.
In his statement to the police, Mantsoe said Mokoena was an aggressive person who was suicidal and “addicted” to the high life.
Mantsoe claimed a security guard found pills on the floor of his one-bedroom apartment in Sandton, where he lived with Mokoena.
However, two security guards who work at the apartment where Mantsoe lived, took the stand on Thursday and disputed Mantsoe’s claims that they found Mokoena on the floor with a box of pills and a suicide note.
One of the guards, Happy Maphiri, said he never entered Mantsoe’s apartment, while his colleague, Lucky Nongoko, said he has helped Mantsoe once, on March 16 last year.
Mantsoe had at the time told Nongoko that he had been knocking for a while and that Karabo did not open the door.
Mantsoe claimed Mokoena had locked herself inside and refused to open.
“He (Mantsoe) came to me and reported that his girlfriend was inside the apartment and he had been knocking but the girlfriend was not opening, so he did not know what was going on.
“From there we went to his apartment where I opened with my master key. When we entered Karabo was sleeping.
“She said ‘sorry I was fast asleep’ then from there I left,” Nongoko told the court.
This evidence emerged as the State wrapped up its case on Thursday. The case is being heard in the High Court in Joburg.
Earlier on Tuesday, the State opted not to show video footage of Mantsoe’s coming and going from his Sandton Skye apartment.
The video would have also shown Karabo’s body being wheeled out in a dustbin.
State prosecutor advocate Mike Hlatshwayo said the video was too long and he offered screen grabs instead as evidence. Sergeant Pule Kotelo from the Sandton police station went through the Sandton Skye apartments’ occurrence book (OB), and found no record of Mokoena’s alleged attempted suicide. The case resumes tomorrow.