A 19-year-old Winile Mazolo wept uncontrollably when she took the stand at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Friday in an attempt to provide an alibi for her boyfriend, Bonginkosi Msomi.
Msomi and his co-accused, Nkululeko Zuma, Thamsanqa Mabaso and Musawenkosi Ndebele - who was granted bail on Thursday - are accused of murdering Sgt Zephinia Dladla and Const Sonto Mhlanga, two Durban metro police officers who were gunned down while standing guard outside the home of Ward 52 councillor Moses Zulu in Bhambayi, near Phoenix, last month. The cops were also robbed of their firearms.
During the second day of their bail application, Msomi’s legal aid lawyer, Mondli Mthethwa, called Mazolo as a witness to corroborate Msomi’s alibi after Mabaso had fingered Msomi as one of five people who had hired him to drive them to the Bhambayi location. Mabaso said that he had no idea that the men were hiring him to commit a crime.
“Madala (Msomi’s nickname) was with me the whole night, Nkhulu (one of the accused) and a group of other people came to his room and showed him the guns from a job they had pulled and ordered some food from him [from his spaza shop],” said Mazolo.
State prosecutor Nathi Ngcongo and Mabaso’s lawyer, Thembelihle Manzi, questioned her to the point where she appeared flustered and nervous on the stand.
Magistrate Rajesh Parshotam had to remind the three lawyers that this was a bail hearing and not a trial as they cross-questioned the witness as well as Mabaso.
The bail application is expected to continue on June 28 when Msomi and Zuma are expected to take the stand.
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