Johannesburg - A defence lawyer in the Nathaniel Julies murder trial on Thursday presented to the court a text conversation in which Constable Mandla Sithole told his girlfriend what transpired on the day of the incident.
The day 4 of the trial – in which Advocate Solomon Tshivahse was representing accused number one Cayleen Whiteboy – saw the cross examination of Sithole in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
Sithole read the conversation in court.
“I was seated at the back inside the police van when our female colleague fired at Julies. I fear that if I tell the truth to my seniors they would loose their jobs and the come after me,” Sithole said.
The texts concluded with Sithole saying he would reach out to accused number two, Simon “Scorpion” Ndyalvane, to ask him to lie that he was not there.
Tshivhase then made allegations against Sithole saying that he had also fired shots earlier in the day and that he was the one who loaded the gun which allegedly killed Nathaniel.
Sithole’s denied these allegations.
Tshivhase added that his client, Whiteboy denied Sithole’s statement and said that she had no reason to kill the teenage boy. She sad that when she was instructed to do she did not know that the shotgun had live ammunition.
Sithole’s response to this was that he did not know what Whiteboy was talking about.
On Wednesday a recording was played in court in which Whiteboy and Ndyalvane allegedly planned to change the story of how Nathaniel was killed. Ndyalvane had called accused number three Voster Ntsheingolo to plant live ammunition at the murder scene.
The recording was made by Sithole who said: “I made the recording because I didn’t not like what was planned after Julies was killed.”
The officers are being charged for murder, defeating the ends of justice and being in possession of unlawful ammunition.
Nathaniel, 16, was shot last year on August 26.
His mother Bridgette Harris said she remained hopeful that justice would be served for her son’s life.
The Star