A state witness in the Lusikisiki mass murder trial has told the Mthatha high court sitting in Lusikisiki that a police officer advised him to surrender to authorities with a lawyer present to avoid being assaulted by police. Lwando Anthony Abi testified that after photographs of the suspects were circulated in the media following the September 28 2024 massacre in which 18 people were killed, he believed he had nowhere to hide and decided to hand himself over. Abi said he contacted two friends who were police officers before surrendering.
One of them, Anele Madotyeni, allegedly advised him to ensure he had legal representation. “I told him the truth that I knew about the matter and that I was preparing to hand myself over to the police,” Abi said. Abi was being cross-examined by advocate Mawanda Nonkwali, one of the lawyers representing the accused.
Nonkwali questioned how a police officer could advise a wanted suspect to bring a lawyer to avoid being assaulted. “By saying [this] … the police officer knew that police beat or have the capability of beating people.
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“So police do assault people, especially when it is said by one of the members of police,” Nonkwali put to Abi. Abi responded that Madotyeni did not say police routinely assaulted suspects but had advised him to protect himself. “He did not say it was a norm. He advised me to have a lawyer,” Abi said.
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