/ 4 May 2009

Kunene murder case postponed

The murder trial of IT consultant Muziwendoda Kunene in the High Court in Bloemfontein was postponed on Monday for legal counsel to prepare their final arguments.

Judge MH Rampai put off the matter to May 11. Kunene, 45, of Ballito, Mumukeleni Khoza, 26, and Mphakamiseni Khumalo, 21, both of Msinga near Greytown, are accused of kidnapping and murdering Ballito estate agent Lynne Hume in October 2007.

The State alleges Hume, 47, was driven to a dirt road near Kestell in the eastern Free State and shot in the passenger seat of her white Volvo on October 23, 2007. The vehicle was then set alight.

On Monday the court heard testimony from a police handwriting expert after the state applied successfully to reopen its case. The testimony followed the court’s allowing a copy of an affidavit from a dead policeman, Superintendent Zethembe Chonco, to be admitted as hearsay evidence.

Kunene had, as part of his defence, handed in a copy of the affidavit, apparently written by Chonco.

It detailed a conspiracy by the presidency and an elaborate plan to kill Hume.

Earlier, the state expressed the view that Kunene had in fact written the affidavit, not Chonco.

Chonco, who was stationed at the Kranskop police station in KwaZulu-Natal, was killed in a taxi violence-related incident in the province last year.

The state’s handwriting expert testified that many of Chonco’s signatures on the 31-page affidavit could have been copied and pasted on.

Another state witness, Superintendent Louis Bester of the Pretoria organised crime unit, testified that he was assigned to one of Kunene’s other cases earlier by national police management.

He had been tasked with helping to investigate a shooting during which Kunene was wounded in the hand in November 2007.

At the time Kunene was an accused in the so-called African National Congress (ANC) hoax email case which implicated ANC members in a conspiracy against then ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma.

Kunene, former spy boss Billy Masetlha and former National Intelligence Agency manager for electronic surveillance Funokwakhe Madlala were acquitted of all charges in the matter in the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court on January 15.

Bester testified that he ”coordinated” all the investigations into Kunene.

Kunene was also facing charges of defeating the ends of justice and attempted murder in the Pretoria Regional Court.

While cross-examining Bester, Kunene’s lawyer Jan Nkhahle told the policeman that he was one of those involved in the conspiracy against Kunene, and that Kunene was of the opinion that Bester was coordinating the conspiracy.

Kunene earlier alleged that his son, Msebenzi Kunene, Chonco and others were involved in a conspiracy against him and that Hume was murdered as part of the conspiracy. — Sapa