Mbabane– Murder accused-turned-accomplice witness Selby Sgaga Dlamini has admitted that he knew businessman Simelane was expected to be killed, but denied having any role in his death.
Sgaga made the admission during a lengthy cross-examination at the High Court, where he was accused of concealing the truth about Simelane’s death and shifting blame to other accused persons.
“I knew that he was supposed to be killed because they had mentioned it,” Sgaga told the court.
However, he maintained that he joined the operation because he wanted money and was not certain that Simelane would actually be killed.
Sgaga denied that he slit Simelane’s throat or inflicted the injury that caused his death.
“I never killed anyone,” he said.
The witness also rejected the defence’s claim that he acted together with the other accused persons to murder Simelane.
The court heard that Sgaga allegedly knew about discussions to kill Simelane before the group travelled to his home. Noncedo questioned why he proceeded with the operation if he knew there was a plan to kill the businessman.
Sgaga said he wanted the money and was not interested in how Simelane would eventually be killed.
He further told the court that he remained in the vehicle when Simelane was taken towards the forest because he wanted to see what the others were going to do with him.
The witness said he later followed the group to the forest but denied participating in the killing.
Sgaga’s evidence also placed him at the scene during the alleged robbery. He said he had gloves, a backpack and a balaclava, while sellotape allegedly used during the incident came with Njabulo Magagula.
He told the court that Simelane was found lying down and that he removed his belt, but denied the defence’s suggestion that he tied him up as part of a plan to kill him.
The defence also challenged Sgaga over discrepancies between his testimony and statements allegedly made to police following his arrest.
Sgaga claimed that some of the information in his police statement was obtained under duress, alleging that he was assaulted and suffocated by police officers who demanded that he say certain things because other accused persons had already been arrested.
He denied that he had later fabricated evidence against Bongiwe after being approached to testify as an accomplice witness.
Noncedo suggested that Sgaga had deliberately implicated Bongiwe in the alleged murder to secure his position as an accomplice witness.
Sgaga rejected the allegation.
The witness also denied telling Bongiwe that Simelane had been killed because he refused to disclose where money was kept.
He further denied telling her that Simelane’s body had been dumped in the Montigny Forest.
According to Sgaga, the body was taken to the Luyengo Research Forest.
The defence also questioned him about his previous convictions, with Sgaga confirming that he had been convicted of housebreaking and was serving a five-year sentence for stock theft, with two years suspended.
He denied being a notorious housebreaking and theft suspect.
Sgaga also admitted that property allegedly taken during the robbery was later handed to Menzi Lukhele, whom he identified as a young man from Malkerns whom he had coached at Stumbo’s 11.
He said he gave Lukhele two televisions and a sound bar.
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