The veracity of the investigating officer’s evidence was under the spotlight when the trial of four former Newcastle Community Policing Forum members accused of murder resumed on Monday, November 17.

Ismaeel Dhalech, Ebrahim Adams, Mahomed Ashraf, and Yaseen Mohamed are all charged with the alleged beating and killing of 26-year-old Khulekani Hlatshwayo on the night of December 24, 2022.

Detective, Warrant Officer Henning de Meyer was questioned by defence attorneys Ravindra Maniklall and Zubair Chothia, who centred their arguments on the accusations that De Meyer deliberately inserted Dhalech’s name into the witnesses’ statements during his investigation.

Quincy Richardson, Shirene Khan, Jowhara Mohamed, Mfanafuthi Dludlu, and Nkanyiso Zwane were the five witnesses put forward by the State.

They testified under oath that they did not mention any of the accused by name, and that ‘the only reasonable explanation would be that De Meyer associated the accused with the crimes; therefore, inserting their names into their statements.’

“All fingers are pointing to you – that you put the names in the statement,” Maniklall told De Meyer.

De Meyer continued to deny this accusation throughout the court proceedings, replying: “I only wrote what the witnesses told me.”

The defence also questioned why the witness statements were made 20 months after Hlatshwayo died.

It was said that the only reason De Meyer approached these witnesses was because he had reason to believe they had evidence somehow involved in the case; moreover, none of them were volunteering information at that time.

Concluding the court proceeding for the day, and after hearing De Meyer’s testimony and insufficient investigation, the defence called for the charges against Dhalech, Adams, Ashraf, and Mohamed to be dropped.

This was after Maniklall and Chotia argued that the State did have enough evidence for a conviction.

“It is not about the quantity of evidence but about the quality,” Maniklall and Chotia told the court.

Magistrate Sibisi will deliver her verdict on November 26.

Read more in next week’s edition of the Newcastle Advertiser…

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