ET case: cop admits disparities

One of the first police officers to arrive on the scene of Eugene Terre Blanche's gruesome murder has admitted in the Ventersdorp Magistrate's Court that he had been "influenced" by the investigating officer to make additions to his statements.

Sergeant Jack Ramonyane, who was on patrol on the day of Terre Blanche's murder, testified that he had received a call on the police radio to go to the scene where Chris Mahlangu and a 16-year-old minor, both facing charges of murder, were waiting to be taken into custody.

During cross-examination advocate Norman Arendse, who is appearing for the minor, asked Ramonyane about disparities between the statement he made on the night of the murder and the statement he made later to investigating officer Tsietsi Mano.

In the first statement, Ramonyane said he had received a radio call from Constable Zwelinzima Mbhipi telling him that Mbhipi had spoken to Mahlangu, who said he had fought with his employer.

In his statement of three weeks later, Ramonyane said that Mbhipi also mentioned the minor as having been involved in the fight.

Arendse suggested to Ramonyane that "Captain Mano suggested you made a mistake and that's why you changed it in your second statement".

Ramonyane said this was so and that "he even showed me Mbhipi's statement".

Arendse asked Ramonyane if Mano "actually told you to say things you didn't want to say and told you to say things you didn't see or hear?"

He replied: "Yes, that is so."