THE key witness in the case against Sifiso Mkhwanazi who's accused of murdering six sex workers can't be traced.
The sex worker was instrumental in ensuring the bodies of the victims were found.
This after she became the first woman to open a case of rape against Mkhwanazi in 2021.
The investigating officer, Detective Bongani Mbonambi testified in the Joburg High Court sitting in Palm Ridge, Ekurhuleni, as the complainant couldn't come to court.
"We tried tracing her but can't find her. She has changed her phone number and address. She is untraceable.
"We went to the streets where the ladies work at night to look for her. The problem is that they used different names when on duty. She is untraceable at this stage. There were no other efforts to trace her."
The matter was withdrawn after the victim submitted a statement, saying she was no longer pursuing the case.
Detective Mbonambi told the court that out of the six bodies found at the workshop in October 2022, only three were identified.
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He said the bodies were tied with ropes around their hands and feet, while one was tied with a rope around her neck.
"The first body to be identified was that of Chihota Nyarai.
"The Nokia cellphone was recovered inside a backpack used by Mkhwanazi. Many family members had reported missing persons.
"We had to inform the families that there was a recovered cellphone and invited them to identify the gadget," said Mbonambi.
He said a witness, Paulina Chihota confirmed that her mother was missing.
"She positively identified the phone and confirmed it was similar to the one her mother used.
"She confirmed that she had the box of the cellphone at home. We went to her place, and she provided us with the box. We compared the IMEI number on the box and the back of the cellphone. The numbers matched," said Mbonambi
He said among the investigations done on Chihota was the fingerprints comparison.
"The family provided us with the passport of the deceased with her fingerprint. A set of fingerprints were taken from the body and sent to forensic and the results were positive.
"We also did a DNA test, a set of teeth taken from the deceased and compared with that of her child. These were sent to the laboratory and the probability was 98,9%," said Mbonambi
The 21-year-old is facing charges of six counts of murder, seven counts of rape, six counts of obstructing the administration of justice, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and unauthorised possession of firearms and ammunition.
The charges stem from the discovery of six female bodies at the site of a panel beating workshop in Rosettenville, south of Joburg, in October 2022.
Mkhwanazi allegedly confessed to the murders during a conversation with his father Mark, who is the second key witness.
The trial will continue on Monday, 19 February.
