The family of slain City of Tshwane employee Mthokozisi Ntumba is considering appealing against last week's high court judgment that acquitted the four police officers accused of his murder.
Speaking to Sowetan on Sunday, the deceased's younger brother, Ayanda, said the family was appalled by the decision of the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg finding four SAPS members not guilty of Ntumba's murder. This after the state could not locate Naresh Suredin, a technician who was a crucial witness in the trial.
“We are still discussing as a family [whether to] to appeal the decision in court. We want to get a lawyer and challenge the judgment. As the family we have not yet discussed or thought about taking any action against the state on its failure to find Suredin.”
Meanwhile, it has come to light that Suredin gave investigators the wrong home address and cellphone number.
In his written witness statement dated March 10 last year (the day Ntumba was shot), Suredin gave investigators from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) incorrect contact information, which made it difficult to locate him.
Suredin was expected to be one of the key state witnesses who would have given testimony and credibility to the CCTV footage that would have possibly identified the officers behind the shooting of Ntumba outside MyClinic HealthCare in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, last year.
Officers Tshepiso Kekana, 27, Cidraas Motseothatha, 43, Madimetja Legodi, 37, and Victor Mohammed, 51, were facing charges of murder and three counts of attempted murder of TVET college students. The court said none of the state witnesses could identify the officers as the people who killed Ntumba.
On Thursday, Suredin told Sowetan that he gave the Ipid investigating officer in the case, Judy Thwala, his correct home address and cellphone number in case they wanted him to testify in court.
Last week, a source close to the case said Suredin could not be reached by phone and at the address that he gave and that through the SA Revenue Service, they discovered that he has six addresses in Lenasia. Ipid failed to find Suredin in their four-month search. Suredin denied having six addresses.
The address Suredin gave Thwala is the address that was on the state witness list under his name.
On Thursday, Sowetan managed to locate Suredin’s house in Lenasia South. The number was right but the street name wasn't.
On Sunday, Sowetan called the number that Suredin provided on his statement several times and the calls did not go through.
When we did get hold of him, he said he did not want to comment on the matter any more.
“I have nothing to say to you. Keep me out of this sh*t. I do not want you to contact me any more. I do not want to see you anywhere near my house. I am not interested in speaking to you. If you keep bothering me I am going to lay a charge of intimidation against you,” said Suredin.
Meanwhile, Ntumba’s wife has called on police minister Bheki Cele to discontinue the use of rubber bullets when dealing with unarmed protesters.
“I want justice to be done for the senseless murder of my husband and the father of my children. Not only do I want the officers who murdered Mthokozisi to be appropriately punished, but I also call on the minister of police immediately to discontinue the use of rubber bullets in dealing with unarmed protesters. Maybe then Mthokozisi’s death will not have been completely in vain,” said Thandi in her affidavit that was meant to be used by the state during sentencing.
Thandi said the news of Ntumba’s killing left her heartbroken.
“I was emotionally obliterated. Words cannot describe my shock and grief. Without Mthokozisi my family and I will never be whole again. I still feel shocked, angry, confused, bereaved and severely traumatised. I will never recover from this,” she said.
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