A homeless man claiming to have witnessed the Brett Kebble murder has been arrested on a warrant for housebreaking and theft, police said on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Bloemfontein man has been taken into custody relating to crimes in the Free State.
Senior Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said the man’s claims that he had witnessed the Kebble murder could not be confirmed, and he was being transported to Bloemfontein to be handed over to police.
Kebble’s father, Roger, on Thursday expressed the hope that the man’s claims were genuine.
”There have been a lot of things in the past. I just hope this one is more accurate,” Roger Kebble told the South African Press Association.
”If this appeared to be the case, it would be a step in the right direction. The whole thing has been very frustrating.”
Martins-Engelbrecht said the alleged witness was found at the South African Broadcasting Corpopration studios in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, on Wednesday night and taken to the Germiston police station where he was placed under arrest.
The man had approached the broadcaster with an exclusive interview, saying he had been asleep in a park not far from the scene where Brett Kebble was shot dead.
The SABC on Thursday quoted the man as saying Brett met the occupants of two BMW cars before he was shot.
The man claimed one of the people he saw on the night of the murder was wearing an earpiece. He said he saw the same man later during the Jacob Zuma rape trial, in a newspaper picture.
”One day I was looking at this paper. I was actually following the Jacob Zuma trial.”
He saw someone in a photograph and thought: ” … isn’t this the guy I saw when Brett Kebble was shot”.
Asked why he had decided to come forward only now, the man said he ”just disappeared” after the incident.
”I didn’t want to know anything about Johannesburg anymore, but I talked to my family, my family said go back, do what is right,” he said.
”So I came back. I feel bad because each and every time when his wife is going to change those flowers where he died, I saw her each and every time.
”I feel bad because I feel like I am the one who shot Brett Kebble because I saw what happened that night,” said the man.
He made several attempts to tell the police his story, but was apparently told to call Crime Stop, the police crime hotline.
Eventually, he opted to approach the public broadcaster with his story.
Martins-Engelbrecht said the man had contacted the hotline centre on Saturday night, informing them that he had information on the Brett Kebble murder.
”A meeting was arranged with the man the following day and he was interviewed by investigating officers on Sunday.”
She said a follow up meeting was due to take place on Wednesday, but the man failed to show up. It was then established that a warrant of arrest was outstanding against the man. He was arrested and was being transported to Bloemfontein to be handed over to police.
”The allegations that were made in connection with Brett Kebble could not be confirmed,” said Martins-Engelbrecht.
She said the man had been questioned about his claims.
She said the Brett Kebble investigation would continue, and there would be no further comment. – Sapa