The state has called a fifth witness in the Efata school murder trial in the Mthatha High Court in the Eastern Cape.
Three learners from Efata School for the Blind and Deaf in Mthatha stand accused of stabbing to death Deputy Principal, Nodumo Mzimane, in July 2015.
Her body was found in a pool of blood inside her locked house on the school premises.
The fifth witness, Nozipho Thanda told the court that she was approached in August 2015 by the fourth witness who cannot be named as he’s under Witness Protection Program.
She says he told her that he was expelled from school and had no money.
Thanda told the court how the fourth witness ended up staying with her.
He said he was scared of going back to school because he was bullied by learners, whom he had allegedly witnessed killing the deputy principal.
She said when she asked him why he didn’t inform the police about the incident, he told her he was threatened by the accused with death if he dared tell anyone.
Earlier, defence counsel, Siyolise Mahlombe attempted to cast doubt in the testimony of the fourth witness, saying he’s just a witness of convenience who wanted to implicate the accused in a murder they didn’t commit.
Mahlombe also put it to the witness that he cooked up the story at Thanda’s house to implicate the accused. Mahlombe said that the witness was a troublesome learner who was once caught selling dagga at school.
The case has been postponed to Thursday for the defence counsel to cross examine the fifth witness.
