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Dube witness faces intense grilling

WITNESS: Thabo Maruping at the Lucky Dube murder hearing. 23/02/09. Pic. Vathiswa Ruselo. © Sowetan.
WITNESS: Thabo Maruping at the Lucky Dube murder hearing. 23/02/09. Pic. Vathiswa Ruselo. © Sowetan.

Dudu Busani

Dudu Busani

"What we did was wrong. Even if I was not in the dock with the accused, I would still have to be punished. We killed a human being."

These were the words of Thabo Maruping who explained to the Johannesburg high court why he had decided to testify against his three friends.

Maruping is key state witness in the murder trial of musician Lucky Dube.

He told the court that he and two of the accused, Sifiso Mhlanga and Mbuti Mabe, had been hijacking cars long before they murdered Dube, but said he only met the third accused Julius Gxowa on the day of the incident.

Maruping concluded his evidence yesterday after two days of grilling by the defence team who accused him of fabricating his evidence.

He was questioned on contradictions in his two statements, one he made when he was arrested and the other after he had turned state witness.

He earlier told the court that they did not know that Dube was the driver of the car when they tried to hijack him in Rossettenville, Joburg in October 2007.

Dube was shot twice, allegedly by Mhlanga, as he tried to drive off.

The trial continues.

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