The magistrate in Molemo ‘Jub Jub’ Maarohanye’s murder trial was forced to call the state and defence to order after a cheeky exchange over legal ethics on Wednesday.
Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala are facing murder and attempted murder charges in the Protea Magistrate’s Court. They are accused of crashing their cars into a group of Soweto school children in March 2010 in an alleged drag racing accident.
Four pupils were killed and two others were injured.
On Wednesday 18-year-old state witness Portia Mafika took to the stand to testify.
She told the court how her friends became excited when they saw that Maarohanye was driving one of the cars. She added that another girl used her cellphone to take a video of the two drivers racing.
Mafika said she initially saw the cars standing stationary in the middle of Mdlalose Road and noticed Maarohanye speaking to a passenger in the other vehicle. She said their heads and arms were poking through the window.
The teen, who appeared tense when she first took the stand, underwent several hours of intense questioning.
Maarohanye’s attorney Ike Motloung then asked Mafika to demonstrate how her friend took a video of the two drivers racing. When she responded, state prosecutor Raymond Mathenjwa interjected.
That prompted a confident Motloung to call Mathenjwa mischievous for trying to stop the witness from answering certain questions. Mathenjwa then brought the issue of ethics and professionalism into the argument.
However, when the exchange started getting personal, the magistrate intervened and told them to behave in a manner that would ensure justice was served.
Source: Eye Witness News
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