Dudu Busani

Dudu Busani

The Jeppestown massacre trial was delayed yet again to allow one of the defence counsels suffering from toothache to visit a dentist.

Advocate Roger Kock, who represents accused number four, Sizwe Mbuyazi, 28, requested the Johannesburg high court to adjourn yesterday morning to enable him to go for a minor operation to have a tooth extracted.

The trial will not conclude at the end of March as scheduled, following an agreement by the state and defence to hold closing arguments sometime in April.

Of the 13 accused, three have already taken the witness stand after the state closed its case two weeks ago. The defence is expected to close its case by the end of this week after testimonies from two more accused.

The 13 are in the dock for murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition charges.

Twelve people, including four policemen, died in a shootout in Jeppestown after a supermarket robbery in Honeydew in June 2006.