Overview

• The Modimolle Regional Court is conducting a trial-within-a-trial to determine whether a contested police statement attributed to the fourth state witness is admissible.
• The witness, declared hostile after disputing the statement’s contents despite confirming his signature, is due back on the stand on Monday, 6 October.
• He told the court he is illiterate and was instructed to sign a prewritten document, while a senior investigating officer—testifying under court-ordered anonymity—denied allegations of coercion.
• A dealership salesman testified that large sums in US dollars were used to buy high-end cars, including two Porsches and a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, which the State links to the alleged $580,000 theft.
• Proceedings have also heard evidence that the accused traveled from Cape Town to Johannesburg and on to Limpopo days before the burglary, and about seven of the 22 planned state witnesses have testified so far.