A 27-year-old man accused of killing and robbing a Barkly East petrol attendant claimed on Tuesday that he was forced to commit the murder by two other men.
This evidence was heard in the Grahamstown High Court where Katiso Mapeyi (27) and his nephew Ayanda Mapeyi (19) both of Site N-56, Barkly East, are on trial for the murder and robbery of Johannes Mokoko (54) on October 1 2005.
On his second day on the stand during a trial-within-a-trial, Katiso told Judge Cecil Somyalo that he denied certain statements made to an Elliot magistrate on March 10 2006.
Lawyers for both the accused are seeking to prevent the admission two confessions to a magistrate as evidence in the main trial.
Senior state advocate Selwyn Gounden was granted permission by the judge to cross-examine Katiso on the contents of his confession.
Reading from the document, then questioning Katiso, Gounden established that the two accused along with two other men, who are unknown to the state, went to the Barkly East Toyota service station that night with the intention to commit robbery.
Quoting from the confession, Gounden said: ”We went to the petrol attendant [Mokoko] and asked him where the money was and he showed us a tin.
”The other guys said I must stab him, but I did not want to. They said they would shoot me, and one of them pulled out his gun. I stabbed him [Mokoko] below his left armpit while the other two guys held him for me.
”One of the other guys took the money, and as we were going out they said we must not leave him alive. We then went back to beat him but he ran away. They caught him near the petrol tanks and dragged him back to the office.
”They said I must stab him in the neck and if I refused they said they would shoot me. I did so and when I tried to pull the knife out it refused [to come out].”
Katiso denied making the statement that he admitted stabbing the victim.
The trial continues. – Sapa