The state continues to call more witnesses in a case involving 14 men from Marikana, accused of murdering a local councillor Petrus Sabata in 2016.
This as the state called for a trial within a trial at the North West High Court sitting in Mogwase.
Police officers, who made the arrests testified in a trial within a trial on the case.
Residents accused Sabata of allocating RDP houses to people who were not living in Marikana. He was hacked to death in December 2016.
The third witness, under witness protection, concluded with her evidence, on the fourth day of the trial.
This is a woman who told the court that councillor Petrus Sabata came to her house running away from a group of men the time he was killed. She also told the court that from that group of men, she recognised community activist Nepoleon Webster.
On conclusion of her evidence, she was cross-examined by Webster’s attorney and she emphasised that Webster was amongst the men who murdered Sabata using a panga.
However, Webster’s representative told the court that they are still to present footages, showing his whereabouts on the day of the incident.
During the trial within a trial, police officers who arrested some of the suspects were requested to explain the procedure followed during the arrests.
This was after some of the suspects, who were arrested in the Eastern Cape back in 2016, claimed to have been assaulted before making statements to the police.
Few police officers from Eastern Cape were also cross-examined by the defence.
Since the beginning of the trial on Monday morning, three people have taken the stand, excluding police officers who were called during a trial within a trial.
A doctor submitted a post-mortem certificate.
Sabata, who was also a supply chain manager for a RDP housing project, was accused of allocating new houses to non-residents.
At the beginning of 2016, a number of houses built were allocated to some residents by government. However, the community accused government of allocating the houses to people who were not living in the area.
Some of Marikana residents attended the trial to support the 14 accused of Sabata’s murder.
The trial continues.
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