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Forensic analyst takes the stand in Bozwana case

Wandile Bozwana
Wandile Bozwana

The high court in Pretoria was on Wednesday taken through the technical details of the methods used by police to identify the four suspects in North West businessman Wandile Bozwana's murder from close-circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Police senior forensic analyst, Captain Ludumo Gqotso, testified that he received a sealed evidence bag with four storage devices each sealed in an evidence bag on 23 November 2015.

He said his role was "to capture (still) images from the footage, enhance those that were not clear, brighten those that were dark" and to enlarge them.

Gqotso said he then went on to analyse the images to identify the victim and the suspects, using facial recognition as well as image enhancement techniques.

The computer forensic analyst , who has worked in over 700 cases in his career spanning over 12 years, said he then went on to mark the victims and the suspects in the footage using arrows.

Asked by the prosecutor, Advocate Jennifer Cronje, how he knew the victims and the suspects, he said this information was provided to him by the investigating officer.

Gqotso said after his analysis, he handed over his report, which contained a picture album, to the administration of the forensic science laboratory in Silverton for safe keeping and collection.

The state has placed it on record that the footage of the movements of Bozwana and his lover, Mpho Baloyi, were followed around as they went about their errands in Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton before they were ambushed on Garsfontein off-ramp of the N1 in Pretoria.

The state will argue that the footage will also prove that Bozwana's murder was planned and the suspects acted in common purpose to commit the crime.

On that fateful afternoon of October 2, 2015 the duo had stopped at the traffic light on the N1 Garsfontein off-ramp when a BMW M3 pulled up next to them and a man got out and opened fire.

Bozwana , 43, who died later at Unitas hospital in Pretoria, was hit at least nine times. Baloyi was hit twice.

Taxi bosses Sipho Patrick Hudla , 34, Matamela Robert Mutapa , 40 and Bonginkosi Paul Khumalo , 36-who are in custody-and Pretoria businessman, Reginald Mathibela , who is out on R50 000, have pleaded not guilty to Bozwana's murder and the attempted murder of Baloyi.

Gqotso was testifying in the trial-within-the-trial for the court to determine the admissibility of the footage as evidence.

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