A LOUD sigh of relief echoed in the South Gauteng High Court after Judge Mawabo Malangeni found the four accused in the Mthokozisi Ntumba murder case not guilty.
Malangeni said with the evidence presented by various witnesses, none of it linked to the offence committed.
The four public order policing officers Tshepiso Kekana, Sidraas Motseothata, Madimetja Legodi and Victor Mohammed left the court with broad smiles as they were found not guilty.
Malangeni said: “There’s no credible evidence upon which this court, acting carefully, may convict. Fortunately, courts don’t base their decision on public opinion and media reports, but on what has been presented before them. All the accused persons are found not guilty and discharged on all counts. All the exhibits presented do not implicate the accused.”
He said that none of the witnesses who testified saw the accused shooting at Ntumba. He further said the cartridges found near his body could not be linked to the firearms used by the accused and all 21 cops deployed in the area on that fateful day.
Malangeni said there were inconsistencies in testimonies of some top cops regarding white rubber bullets used.
He said some said the bullets were non-lethal and had not killed a person while another said they could kill if used at close range.
Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Phindi Mjonondwane said they were accepting the decision and would study the judgment.
“We will determine if there is a plan of action that must follow after the judgment.”
The four acquitted officers were accused of killing Ntumba last year in Braamfontein during a student protest. He was shot and killed by rubber bullets after visiting a doctor at De Beers Street, when he found himself in the line of fire.
