One of the men accused of raping and murdering Asemahle Ntsabo allegedly made an obscure remark about the girl, a court heard.
|||Cape Town - One of the men accused of raping and murdering six-year-old Asemahle Ntsabo made an obscure remark about the girl a day after she went missing from her home in Paarl, the Western Cape High Court has heard.
This was the evidence of security guard Lesley Volkwyn, who took the stand in the case against Langa Mbijana, Songezo Deleki Mpitolo and Phumelele Nodede yesterday.
Volkwyn told the court that he was on duty on January 22 last year, a day after Asemahle went missing.
While guarding the construction site where he worked, he noticed someone lying in an open field on the premises. It was Mbijana.
Volkwyn said he asked Mbijana why police vehicles were driving in the area and Mbijana said it was in connection with a missing girl who got into a car.
Volkwyn did not ask further questions. A week later police arrested Mbijana in connection with the girl’s disappearance.
It is the State’s case that the men kidnapped Asemahle while she was playing with her friends near her 55 Drommedaris Street home in Mbekweni on January 21 last year.
A large community and police search ensued but Asemahle, who was wearing a light pink top and blue skirt at the time, was still missing a month later.
Asemahle’s remains were found in bushes near the Nederpark railway tracks about 600m from her home in February last year.
A skull and some bones were sent for DNA analysis and found to be Asemahle’s.
She was reportedly murdered for muti.
The State alleges Asemahle was choked to death and raped after she was kidnapped.
The men have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, rape and kidnapping of a minor. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trail continues on Thursday.
jade.otto@inl.co.za
Cape Argus