A man accused of murdering two elderly women at a Sunridge Park retirement village claims to have been tortured by the police, who allegedly threatened to dump him in the sea should he not spill the beans on his co-accused.
Mkulisi Damaneti accused seasoned Hawks investigator Colonel Kanna Swanepoel, award-winning investigating officer detective Constable Ridwaan Baatjies, and three others of tying him up, pouring liquid over his body, and assaulting him over three days after he was arrested on October 18 2019.
He told the Gqeberha high court on Wednesday that his rights had not been read to him before this.
And while Damaneti claimed in his testimony — during a trial-within-a-trial to determine the admissibility of the pointing out statement — that he was never given the opportunity to be legally represented at the time of his arrest, senior state advocate Marius Stander pointed out that a seasoned police officer who assisted in obtaining the statement would not have continued without first reading him his rights.
Damaneti said he was only informed of his rights after being taken to the Humewood police station charge office.
There, Damaneti claimed, he informed Swanepoel he wanted a lawyer but his request was ignored.
Swanepoel, testifying earlier, told the court he had informed Damaneti of his rights during his arrest at his Walmer township home, and again at the police station.
According to Swanepoel, it was Damaneti who asked to see him on October 20 2019.
He had then allegedly informed Swanepoel that he wanted to explain what had happened on October 9 2019 at the St Johns Retirement Village in Stella Londt Drive.
Damaneti, 33, along with a former caregiver at the retirement village, Nomgebisi Slangveld, 35, Nyasha Manyange, 36, Akhona Mnxeba, 31, and Luxolo Kruisjan, 33, have all pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of robbery, and one count of money laundering.
It is alleged Slangveld took the keys of the frail care centre’s security gate and gave them to Damaneti who had duplicates made.
According to the state, on October 9 2019 Damaneti, Mnxeba and Kruisjan were taken to Broadway Street in Sunridge Park by Manyange, from where they walked to St Johns.
They then allegedly scaled the perimeter wall and gained access to the centre using the duplicate keys.
Inside the frail care centre the three allegedly entered the rooms of Anges Burns, 97, and Rosemary Langton, 87.
Burns and Langton were found dead the next day. They had been bound and strangled, and their rooms ransacked.
Various items, including jewellery, cellphones and Krugerrands, had been stolen.
The case continues.
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