MURDER suspect Bongani Mazibuko said it will be magic for the state to prove that he was at the scene of crime where former ANC councillor Mandla Mamba was murdered.
Mazibuko was testifying in the Nelspruit Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 7 February.
The 34-year-old and his five co-accused are facing murder and attempted murder charges.
It's alleged that on 2 July 2023, the suspects acted in common purpose and killed Mandla Mamba, who was at a liquor outlet in Barberton, Mpumalanga.
Mazibuko claimed that he was seven kilometres away from the scene of the crime.
He told the court he went to play dice, and it didn't take him 10 minutes to finish.
He said he then left to buy food and only received the news of Mamba's passing through a friend who had called to inform him about the incident.
"I received a call from my friend informing me that the deceased has passed away. I was at another tavern when I received the call. The two taverns are apart from where the incident happened and where I was. I was playing dice when the deceased was killed. I was seven kilometres away from the place where the deceased was killed. It's impossible to be at the place where the deceased was killed; if I were there, then it would be magic," he said.
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Mazibuko maintains that the state case against him is very weak as he was not there when the deceased was killed.
He said he had no reason to kill Mamba, and he pleaded with the court to grant him bail so that he could focus on his football club and family.
"Everything will collapse if I am kept in custody. I am worried about my family and my players. I have since lost 14 players, and my team is collapsing. I'm doing something for the community, fighting through football. I'm paying school fees for my niece, and I have to support my son. If I am kept in custody, I won't be able to do all these things," he said.
The state has indicated that there will be a witness who will correctly place Mazibuko at the scene of the crime.
The matter was postponed to Monday, 12 February, for a further bail hearing.
