Durban — The Durban High Court heard evidence in the suitcase murder trial on Wednesday that an accused allegedly masterminded getting rid of the phones of murdered mother and daughter Smangele Simamane and Sbongakonke Mthembu.
On Wednesday, the court also heard how Slindile Pamela Zamisa coached another accused into giving police a fabricated statement and how she had organised a place for her family and boyfriend to flee to in Johannesburg’s Protea Glen.
Sthembiso Nicholas Lamula, who was Zamisa’s lover, is currently serving six years’ imprisonment for his part in the 2020 alleged murders and led evidence in court as a State witness on Wednesday.
The trial continues on Thursday, when Lamula will be cross-examined by Legal Aid defence counsel for the accused.
Zamisa is charged along with her daughter Andile Zamisa of the alleged kidnapping and murders as well as defeating the ends of justice.
Lamula said the bodies were dumped in KwaDabeka.
Lamula said Zamisa allegedly told him to fetch her children and grandchildren to hide out at his Inanda home. This was after Zamisa had found out that the police had been to her Newlands West home, where the alleged offence took place.
Lamula told the court that while driving to KwaMashu with Zamisa they had been stopped by the police, who wanted them to follow them to Newlands. Lamula told the court that Zamisa repeatedly told him to “deny everything, admit to nothing.”
Lamula said it was Zamisa who had directed him to drive to KwaDabeka because she knew where they could dump the bodies.
Lamula told the court that on the way to KwaDabeka, Zamisa told him to make a U-turn and stop.
Lamula said Zamisa got out of the car and put the cellphones of Simamane and Sbongakonke into a manhole.
“She told me that we must all make the same statement to the police, which was a lie. We gave police these false statements on October 6 in Newlands,” he said.
Lamula said it was Zamisa who also said they should move to another location away from Inanda, where they had been hiding out as the police now knew the address. They moved to Molweni along with Zamisa’s children and grandchildren.
Lamula said after staying in Molweni, Zamisa told him to buy new SIM cards for himself and her.
“She said the Simamane family had hired hit men and had bugged our phones… She said her brother had friends who were police in Newlands who had told him that hit men were looking for them. She said we needed to get away.”
Lamula claimed after getting another car from a friend they all made their way to Johannesburg and while driving there Zamisa kept in phone contact with a “guy who was organising them a place to stay there”.
The trial continues on Thursday where Lamula will be cross-examined by Legal Aid defence counsel for the accused.
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