Pretoria - The State has accused alleged hit man Tumelo Mokone of shifting the blame on to the late investigating officer Colonel Isaac Tlhapi to dispute allegations of misconduct against him.
Mokone was under cross-examination in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, yesterday alongside co-accused Kagiso Mokone and Onthatile Sebati, for the murder of Constable Lucky Sebati, his wife Mmatshepo and two children, Tshegofatso and Quinton, on December 6, 2016.
The 23-year-old took the stand yesterday, detailing to the court that he had been “deceived” by the police into submitting a confession statement. He claimed the police said they were in fact not looking for him, but for the other two accused.
He insisted that the then investigating officer Tlhapi had informed him after he handed himself over on December 18, 2021 that the others had already made confession statements linking him to the family killing and all they wanted from him was a statement.
Tlhapi also allegedly promised Mokone he would not oppose his release on bail and that should he co-operate he would be acquitted of all charges.
State advocate Eric Sihlangu, however, told the court Mokone was tailoring his evidence to suit his version of events and adjusting things, hence nothing was said by his legal counsel during the testimony of the officer identified only as Captain Dlamini.
Sihlangu said in addition to that he was also laying the blame on officer Tlhapi as he knew “he would not be in a position to dispute what you are saying as he is dead”.
Tlhapi died in hospital in February after he was in a car crash.
Mokone’s father, James Shebesho, testified that the police came looking for his son on December 17, 2021 after which arrangements were meant to hand him over the following day.
Shebesho said the family also contacted the family lawyer who informed them to go to the police station as he would be around when they needed him. The father said the police told him they just wanted his son for a statement, however, after two hours they told him to leave and await their call.
Upon visiting the police station the following day he said the police informed him he would only be able to see Mokone again on Monday in court.
Shebesho also disputed testimony that Mokone was brought to them by the family lawyer.
The matter was postponed to today for all counsels to give their final arguments in the trial-within-a-trial relating to the submission of confession statements allegedly made by all three of the accused.
Pretoria News