Kimberley - The trial of the three accused who have been implicated in the brutal murder of Kimberley resident Gershwin Swartz continued on Monday with the cross-examination of the man who has already been convicted of killing the 24-year-old in 2016.
Naledi Kgadiete, 28, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence after being found guilty of kidnapping, assaulting and murdering Swartz, is testifying as a State witness against the three remaining accused in the matter - Shaun Carelse, Mamogelo Mocumi, and Boitumelo Matlola.
Swartz was found stabbed to death in a veld on July 16, 2016, after he had been kidnapped.
Before the matter was postponed last month, Kgadiete concluded his testimony in chief and admitted that he had lied during his warning statement to police.
He returned to the stand in the Northern Cape High Court on Monday where his cross-examination continued.
Shortly after lunch, Carelse’s legal representative, Lentswe Sitoto, continued questioning the 28-year-old, with Kgadiete disagreeing with several aspects of the accused’s version of what had happened on the night in question.
He denied Carelse’s claims that he had only smoked tobacco while driving around in the deceased’s VW Polo and that they had purchased petrol while driving on the R31.
While the witness’ testimony also differed from that of Carelse with regard to where they had met Mocumi and Matlola, he conceded that he and Carelse had both seen Matlola cleaning blood off a knife at a house in Roodepan shortly after the incident.
“Both of us saw accused number three (Matlola) take out the knife and wash it,” Kgadiete told the court. “When he saw the knife, the friend (whose house they were at in Roodepan) got frightened and asked where the blood on the knife came from.”
On Monday, Kgadiete further testified that Carelse was in possession of the deceased’s phone.
During the investigation, Kgadiete had pointed out to police the scene where the incident happened, as well as where the deceased was stabbed, where he was taken after the stabbing, blood belonging to the deceased, a stone that he said Carelse had thrown at Swartz, as well as the place where Swartz’s body was left and the blanket used to wrap around his body.