On Monday the trial into the murder and rape of a 17-year-old girl continued in the Durban High Court where the investigating officer while on the stand accused Samkelo Dube who is charged with murder of lying.
Durban — The investigating officer in the murder case of a 17-year-old who was stabbed with a screwdriver and raped, disputed the evidence of the accused taxi driver while on the stand in the Durban High Court on Monday.
Samkelo Victus Dube is on trial for the 2020 murder and rape of Sibahle Faith Biyela. In his not-guilty statement he explained how he had been taken to the Cato Manor by a relative to report Biyela’s murder.
The taxi driver claims that after a night of drinking with Biyela and another woman who is his neighbour, he woke the next morning to find Biyela’s bloodied body. After this, he left to transport his first load of passengers.
Further to this, he claimed he was robbed and kidnapped on that morning by three men who pretended to be passengers. According to Dube, he was kept in an unknown location for two days until he managed to escape to his aunt’s house in Umgababa.
Dube’s version is that after informing his aunt about the body in his house, a relative arrived and took him to Cato Manor SAPS to report the matter. From there he was taken to Folweni SAPS.
When being cross-examined by Dube’s Legal Aid lawyer, Zeera Fareed, on Monday, the investigating officer, Sergeant MM Dlamini, rejected the claim that Dube went with a relative to Cato Manor SAPS to report the case. Fareed said that Dube would deny that he was arrested at his mother’s house.
“He is lying; he was arrested at his mother’s house in Chesterville by a task team from Cato Manor SAPS and was taken to Folweni SAPS where I processed and charged him as the investigating officer,” said Dlamini.
After his cross-examination, the State closed its case and Dube took the stand testifying in the defence’s case.
When Dube was probed further during his cross-examination by Senior State Prosecutor, Advocate Khatija Essack, about his arrest and whether or not his mother lived in Chesterville, Dube said she didn’t.
After interjection by Judge Bruce Bedderson who asked whether or not at the time of the murder, his mother lived in Chesterville, Dube confirmed this.
Dube allegedly stabbed Sibahle Faith Biyela on the forehead with a screwdriver after allegedly raping her in Folweni at the time when the country was under lockdown due to Covid19 in 2020.
He is also alleged to have assaulted Thandiwe Princess Shange by stabbing her with a screwdriver with the intent of causing her grievous bodily harm.
It is alleged that Sibahle, Shange, and Dube were friends and Dube was well-known to the two.
The State alleges that on the evening of Sunday October 4, Sibahle, Shange, and Dube were socialising together at Dube’s residence where he allegedly had made repeated sexual advances towards Sibahle who rejected these.
It’s alleged that Biyela and Shange left the accused’s place just after midnight on Monday, October 5. As they were walking home, the accused ran up to them accusing the deceased of having stolen his cellphone. An argument ensued between the accused and Shange. He began assaulting Shange and stabbed her in the forehead with a screwdriver.
Following this, Biyela ran away and Dube is alleged to have chased her and caught her taking her back to his place.
The trial continues on Tuesday.
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