Staff Reporter.
Ntokozo Zikhali who is accused of kidnapping, raping, killing and violating the corpse of 4-year-old Bokgabo Poo has been found not guilty on Monday.
Zikhali was out on bail on the rape matter when he was arrested for the horrific murder of Bokgabo in Wattville, Benoni, in October 2022.
The shocking verdict left many in disbelief, as the accused walked free despite the gruesome nature of the crime.
The acting judge presiding over the case, Ian Cox, dismissed the State’s application to introduce a witness statement after they had already closed their case.
The witness was with the investigating officer during Zikhali’s arrest, and the State sought to use this statement to establish if the accused’s rights were violated during the arrest.
However, Judge Cox deemed the late introduction of the statement as unfair to the accused, ensuring justice for all parties involved.
During the trial, the court heard about how Zikhali had confessed to the crime during his arrest to Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Bronkhorst at Brakpan SAPS.
However, Zikhali later claimed that the confession was not made freely and voluntarily due to alleged police assault.
Consequently, a trial-within-a-trial was initiated to evaluate the confession’s admissibility. Judge Cox ruled the confession inadmissible, stating that the State failed to provide sufficient evidence of its voluntary nature.
Following the judge’s ruling, Zikhali was found not guilty of the charges against him.
Poo’s father, Irvin Ndlovu spoke with eNCA after the verdict.
He said, “I have no idea what happens next, all I know is that we will not stop seeking justice we are very disappointed with the ruling…a murderer who has confessed and now today you are telling us that he is a free man.”
Compiled by Lehlohonolo Lehana.