A black youth was ”tricked” into opening a shack door to police investigating the murder of Baby Jordan-Leigh Norton, the Cape High
Court heard on Thursday.
The teenager, who may not be named, is one of four alleged hitmen in the dock with Dina Rodrigues for the alleged murder in June last year of the baby — the six-month-old daughter of Natasha Norton.
The other accused are: Sipho Mfazwe, Mongezi Bobotyatyane and Zanethemba Gwada. He normally lived with his parents, but on the night of his arrest was sleeping in a shack owned by Bobotyane, the teenager — 16 at the time of his arrest — told Judge Basheer
Wagley and two assessors.
A schoolfriend named Des had knocked at the door in the early hours of that morning, telling him through the closed door that police had been to his parents shack to arrest him, but that he had managed to escape.
When he opened the door, the teenager found Des and three police officials, including the investigating officer, Captain Esmerald Bailey.
He and Bobotyane had to identify themselves to the police. Bobotyane’s identity document was confiscated. They climbed into
the back of a patrol vehicle, unaware that Gwada was also inside.
”I asked Gwada why he had been arrested, and he said he did not know, but that the police had had a warrant for his arrest,” the youth testified.
While he accused the police of not telling them they were being arrested, he told the court he knew he was ”because I was in the back of a police van”.
They were taken to Caledon Square police headquarters, where their fingerprints were taken twice. He again asked Gwada why they had been arrested when he was later put into a holding cell with him. ”Gwada said he had no idea,” he told the court.
Taken to an office, he told Inspector David Chauke he did not know why he had been arrested.
Chauke had a newspaper on a desk with a photograph of the murdered baby.
The teenager testified: ”Chauke said I must not lie, and warned me that Bobotyane had already told the police that he [Bobotyane] had stabbed the baby.
”He asked if I recognised the baby, and I said yes.”
The case continues on Monday. – Sapa