33 STATE WITNESSES VS 4 IN SIPHO CASE

 MBABANE – The balance of scales will clearly be tipped during the trial of murder accused Sipho Shongwe.
While the State will parade 33 witnesses, yesterday Shongwe indicated that he would only bring four.

This will be during the much anticipated trial where Shongwe stands accused of killing businessman and football administrator Victor Gamedze.  The trial is slated for May 28 to June 6, 2019 before Judge Mbutfo Mamba.
This means that the matter has been allocated eight days.

Holiday

Despite that on May 30, 2019 it will be a public holiday; Shongwe’s legal team said it was prepared to continue with the trial on this date, depending on the availability of the judge.
Shongwe disclosed the number of witnesses who will help to exonerate him during his pre- trial conference which was held at the High Court yesterday. He, however, did not reveal their identities.

Notably, there are five witnesses who the Crown previously informed the court that it would not disclose their identities due to safety reasons.
Shongwe was not present and his legal team, which consisted of Advocate Laurence Hodes and Lucky Howe appeared on his behalf before deputy registrar of the High Court.

Advocate Hodes, who is one of the celebrated advocates in the Republic of South Africa, has handled a number of high profile cases, which include that of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Commander-in- Chief Julius Malema, who was facing charges of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money-laundering as a result of a R52 million contract with the Limpopo Roads and Transport Department. During the pre-trial conference yesterday, the Crown, which was represented by Principal Crown Counsels Macebo Nxumalo and Absalom Makhanya indicated that they would furnish the defence with three video footages and audio.  They also disclosed that they would provide Shongwe’s legal team with the post-mortem report.

Also to be given to the defence attorneys are cellphone records and forensic analysis and a copy of the extradition application.
A pre-trial conference is a meeting of the parties to a case conducted prior to trial. The conference is held before the trial judge or a magistrate, a judicial officer who possesses fewer judicial powers than a judge. A pre-trial conference may be held prior to trial in both civil and criminal cases. A pre-trial conference may be requested by a party to a case, or it may be ordered by the court. Generally, the term pre-trial conference is used interchangeably with the term pre-trial hearing.

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