Rustenburg – The police planted a firearm on one of the six men accused of killing a man in Marikana, the Rustenburg Magistrate's Court sitting in Tlhabane heard on Monday.
William Nyenyane told the court that the police arrested him on January 5, at his workplace and beat him to admit that he was a part of the people who killed Sabata Petros Chale, 39, in Marikana West on December 8.
"The police pointed at me with firearms, handcuffed me and they beat me up. The took me to my car. Three searched it while the others continue to beat me. Later a gun was put on my waist and they took photograph of me with the gun on me," he told the court during his bail application.
He said the police put him inside a minibus taxi and drove to a bushy area where his head was covered and they beat him up, he suffocated and told the police he wanted to talk.
He was taken to a police station and charged with murder. In his bail application Nyenyane told the court he was married to two women and has four children. His wives were unemployed and he was the sole breadwinner for his family. He said his family would suffer if he was continued to be held in custody.
The State alleges that Nyenyane, Aubrey Seitsang, Sibonile Sobopha, Mdlondozi Fundiwo, Herbert Baqhesi and Napoleon Webster hacked Sabata Petros Chale to death in Marikana West, over the allocation of RDP houses.
Nyenyane admitted to have been part of a group of people who marched to the Marikana police station to complain about the service rendered by the police station.
The State alleges that after the march, the group went to Chale and killed him. The case was postponed to January 30, for further evidence.
The defence was expected to call Nyenyane's brother to testify in support of his bail application.
The court also heard that one of the accused Napoleon Webster was never near the murder or at the Marikana police station. University of Johannesburg student Zwalekhe Mahlangu, told the court he was with Webster and journalist Sipho Singiswa at the Marikana central business district. He said he was going to print posters and Webster was at Shoprite to arrange food for students he was hosting.
Singiswa drove them to Marikana central. Meanwhile the Forum 4 Service Delivery ( F4SD) said it was concerned that Napoleon Webster was being harrassed and targeted political by the current system through the Hawks.
"F4SD further believes that Napoleon Webster is being targeted for his vocal and effective calling for Lonmin to fulfill it's mining charter obligations. F4SD once more believes that the prosecution is being used to criminalise and thereby discredit community leaders and activists such as Napoleon Webster because he of his has strong and consistent voice in calling for those responsible for and implicated in the Marikana massacre to be charged," said Mbahare Kekana, national convenor.
"F4SD as a new voice for community we are not going to stop being active in calling for impartial policing in our country and we will steadily opposes illegal detention of fellow community activists."