An alibi witness was put on the spot on Friday when he struggled to explain discrepancies between his evidence and that of the accused.
Ryan Wentzel appeared flustered in the dock at the Gqeberha high court while under cross-examination by state advocate Rafiq Ahmed, seemingly unable to explain why crucial dates differed in his evidence compared with that of murder accused Riaan Baartman.
Wentzel had testified that Baartman had moved to Mossel Bay on November 6 2019 to stay with him after Baartman claimed he was being targeted by an alleged gangster.
According to Wentzel, he remembered the date clearly as it was the day of his and his girlfriend’s anniversary.
In his testimony, Baartman claimed he had arrived in Mossel Bay on a Friday, two days after the date Wentzel claimed, and that he and Wentzel had visited friends the next day.
Put to him that Baartman’s evidence seemed more likely and that there was an alleged attempt to alter evidence to benefit Baartman, Wentzel did not comment.
It is alleged Baartman, and his co-accused had Darryn Wentzel, on November 7 2019 shot Leonard Roberts dead at a house in Lawler Street, Schauderville, at about 9.30pm.
At the start of their trial, the pair pleaded not guilty to 12 charges including murder, five counts of attempted murder, two counts of contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) and two counts each for the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The pair are alleged members of the Kakdallers and Boomshaka affiliated gangs that operate in the Helenvale area.
According to the state, on the day of the shooting, Roberts and another man were at the Lawler Street house when Wentzel and Baartman arrived in a VW Polo.
It is alleged that as Wentzel and Baartman got out of the Polo they drew firearms and started shooting at Roberts.
Roberts died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, while the second man escaped unharmed.
About 10 minutes later, while travelling in Helenvale, the Polo was spotted by members of the police’s anti-gang unit, who attempted to pull the occupants over.
The driver of the Polo was instructed to drive away and a short high-speed car chase ensued.
When the Polo came to a stop after turning into a cul-de-sac off Chamois Street, Wentzel and Baartman allegedly got out and opened fire on the police, who fired back in return.
A 33-year-old police constable was shot in the head, but has since recovered.
The case continues.
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