Cell phone, DNA indentify 3 of Mkhwanazi’s alleged victims
Worried about her mother’s whereabouts, Chihota Nyarai’s daughter was among the concerned relatives who came forward after hearing that six bodies had been found at a Johannesburg factory in October 2022.
When accepting responsibility for the murders in his admission, Sifiso Mkhwanazi said he shot Nyarai once on the left side of her head while standing about one to two metres from her.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge of robbery under aggravating circumstances, which relates to the Nokia cell phone he allegedly removed from the deceased’s bag and kept for himself.
The phone was found in his backpack on the day of his arrest.
During his evidence in chief, investigating officer Sergeant Bongani Mbonambi told the court that DNA testing was conducted to compare samples taken from Nyarai and her daughter Pauline.
Pauline also told the police that the cell phone they had shown her looked eerily like her mother’s.
“We went to her residence, requested the box and then compared the two (IMEI) numbers on the box, and the number from the back of the cell phone, and it matched.
“Another investigation was a fingerprints comparison after the family provided us with the passport of the deceased which has the fingerprint of the deceased. A set of fingerprints was taken from her body and sent to our Local Criminal Records Centre, and the results were positive.
“The last investigation was that of DNA. A set of teeth was taken from the deceased, and a DNA sample was taken from the daughter, and it was taken to the biology laboratory, and the probability of maternity was 99.98%,” Mbonambi testified.
The second body (Patricia Magaiza), and the third (Joyce Moyo) were also identified by way of DNA testing after a tooth sample was taken from the deceased and compared to a sample taken from Magaiza’s mother and Moyo’s child.
The probability of maternity for Magaiza was 99.99%, while for Moyo the results returned a 99.97% match.
VICTIMS MAINLY ZIMBABWEAN NATIONALS
On Monday, the prosecution implied the accused targeted Zimbabwean women, when asking Mbonambi to confirm the nationalities of the victims during re-examination.
Only three of the six slain women have been identified as Zimbabwean nationals (Chihota Nyarai, Patricia Magaiza Joyce Moyo).
The woman who Mkhwanazi blames for stoking his deadly rage against sex workers after she allegedly falsely accused him of rape in 2021 was also reported to be from Zimbabwe.
Mbonambi confirmed a South African woman, who was also a sex worker that Mkhwanazi picked up, was left unharmed.
After defence lawyer Vuyo Maqetuka put to Mbonambi that witness statements confirm Mkhwanazi had brought other women to the workshop on different occasions and, unlike the victims, some left unscathed the officer conceded.
Maqetuka sought to rubbish the state’s claim that the accused was on a targeted, premeditated killing spree and that he rather triggered when he disagreed with the women over fees for their services.
READ MORE: Alleged sex worker serial killer tells court rage, fear led to murders
“From the evidence we have it’s only one woman that came forward with such a claim,” said Mbonambi.
He later confirmed during re-examination by the state the woman in question was South African.
Meanwhile, Mbonambi said efforts to positively identify the remaining three victims had been unsuccessful so far, as a result, their nationalities are also unknown.
The case returns to court on Wednesday, after the defence notified the court of its intention to bring a Section 174 application.
ALSO READ:
