Focus on mistakes of Griekwastad forensic investigator
Administrative mix-ups with the serial numbers of exhibits and sealed evidence by the forensic investigator in the 2012 Griekwastad farm murders were highlighted in court on Wednesday.
The Northern Cape High Court was hearing evidence in the murder trial of a 16-year-old boy.
"I testified to the mix-up," the State's second witness in the trial, forensic investigator Lieutenant Andre McAnda, said in reply to a question under cross-examination.
"How many mistakes do you make? We will get to the others," said Willem Coetzee, the youth's legal representative.
Coetzee was testing McAnda's evidence-in-chief in the handling of the six revolver cartridges sealed in a forensic bag at the Griekwastad police station.
McAnda said although he was a forensic expert, he could make mistakes.
"In all fields of expertise there is a margin of error."
The court adjourned for lunch early, after the defence asked for access to the documents from which the witness was testifying.
McAnda did not want to hand over the documents, and said his testimony was sufficient.
The prosecution would decide over the lunch adjournment whether to make the documents available to the defence team.
Northern Cape farmer Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christelle, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14 were killed on their farm Naauwhoek, near Griekwastad, on April 6, 2012.