ZOLISWA TRIAL: CLAIMS OF DELAY TACTICS

One of the men on trial for the 2006 murder of 19 year old lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana has been accused of further delaying the case.

Zolile Kobese, one of nine men who allegedly beat, stoned and stabbed Nkonyana to death in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape for being a lesbian, continues to deny that he wrote a statement being used in the trial.

The court had previously instructed a handwriting expert to assess the statement, which has been completed, but Kobese’s lawyer has now questioned the handwriting sample used by the expert.

The result is that the trial, which has been postponed over 30 times, was last week once again suspended. This time till next month.

Activists are livid at yet another delay in seeking justice for Nkonyana. The case, which has become an embarrassment for the South African criminal justice system, has been characterised by ongoing postponements and incompetence.

In September last year, four of the nine suspects were allegedly helped to escape by a police sergeant at the Magistrate’s Court. They were recaptured a few days later.