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Dumisani Mkhwanazi, the man on trial for the alleged murder of UJ student Palesa Madiba in 2013, is appearing in South Gauteng High Court. (Papi Morake, Gallo Images)
- Dimakatso Makhetha was a tenant in the house where the body of Palesa Madiba, a student at the University of Johannesburg, was found.
- Madiba’s body was found buried in a grave behind Tshidi’s home on December 16, 2016.
- A witness told the court that the defendants were aware of their routine.
A witness in the murder trial of Dumisani Mkhwanazi, the man accused of killing Palesa Madiba, a student at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), told the court that he noticed pavement that he had not seen in the backyard when he went to hang up the clothes, five days later. Madiba had disappeared.
Dimakatso Makhetha, also known as Makhi, testified in Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg before Judge Prince Manyathi on Friday.
She testified that on August 12, 2013, the day Madiba disappeared, Mkhwanazi had not gone to work.
He faces charges of murder, aggravated robbery, defeating the administration of justice, and illegal possession of a firearm and live ammunition.
Madiba disappeared after visiting the home of his friend Matshidiso Mkhwanazi in Phiri, Soweto, on August 9, 2013.
Matshidiso, known as Tshidi, is the niece of the accused.
On Thursday, he testified that on August 12, 2013, he had left Madiba and gone to work.
Madiba was a senior Bcom Accounting student at the UJ Soweto campus.
Tshidi testified when she tried to call Madiba after arriving at work, her cell phone went to voicemail.
During the examination, led by prosecutor Faghre Mohamed on Friday, Makhetha said she had been a tenant at Dumisani’s home since October 2011.
READ | Close friend testifies about the last morning he spent with Palesa Madiba
She testified that there were several other occupants in the yard; Dumisani’s mother, Thandi, Tshidi, and a school-going boy named Adam who lived in the main house, while she and another couple rented outside rooms.
Dumisani also occupied one of the back rooms and only used the main house for eating and bathing, the court heard.
In detailing the events of the morning of August 12, when Madiba was last seen by Tshidi, Makhetha said that she had brought her son to school around 07:00.
She told the court that when she left and returned, she did not notice movements or sounds from other people in the yard, including the main house.
Makhetha recalled that upon her return, Dumisani’s mother asked her if Madiba had already left the house and that she should leave the keys to the house when she did.
I told her that I hadn’t seen Palesa and she told me to wake up Dumisani and tell him to go see a man who was supposed to put doors in the house. He asked me to accompany Dumisani because he did not trust me to see how the person was.
Makhetha said that Dumisani also informed her that Madiba had left the house around 07:00 and handed her the keys to the house.
On the way to the craftsman, Makhetha said that Dumisani informed him that he was “tired” and that was why he had not gone to work.
The witness told the court that she did not realize whether Dumisani’s girlfriend, who visited him frequently, was there that day.
“He voluntarily told me that he was not going to work because he was tired.”
She added:
When we got home, as we passed, the kitchen window was opened. I listened to music from inside the house. Then I went into my room and locked myself. Then I left my room again around 12:00 after Tshidi (niece) called me. I told Tshidi that I never saw Palesa. I told her that I don’t know what time it was when Palesa left, but Dumisani informed me that he saw her when she left.
Paving
Makhetha also recalled that she left her room again around 12:00, but at that time, Adam, who had just arrived from KwaZulu-Natal, was in the courtyard.
Adam accompanied her to a store, but before they arrived, they passed a particular house.
Makhetha testified that Adam told her that he was sent by Dumisani to the home. Upon arrival, the boy spoke to someone, but she did not know what the conversation was about.
She added that Adam had also informed her that he could not enter the house and she warned him that Dumisani said the keys were with him.
“When we got back, we noticed that the kitchen door was open and Adam was able to enter the house.”
Turning to the events that unfolded after Monday, Makhetha said police had come to the home to search her.
On Saturday, August 17, when he went to hang his clothes on the clothesline, he noticed a new pavement.
“When I went to hang up my clothes on Saturday, I found the area paved.”
Makhetha said that the last time she went to the backyard, the pavement wasn’t there.
During questioning, Dumisani’s lawyer, Dominic Thinani, asked if Makhetha had seen any movement of other people in the courtyard after that Monday and before the Saturday that he noticed the pavement, he said no.
Makhetha testified that Dumisani was probably aware of their routine as tenants because the layout of their apartments was such that one could hear when the other was leaving.
The trial continues and the State is expected to hear testimony from at least five other witnesses.
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