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I taught Julies murder accused how to use a firearm, testifies police captain

Captain Sussana Berrange on Monday gave testimony in the South Gauteng High Cour

Tankiso Makhetha Investigative reporter
Caylene Whiteboy appears at the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court.
Caylene Whiteboy appears at the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court.
Image: OJ Koloti

An officer from the SA Police Service Academy, who testified in the trial of the slain 16-year-old Nateniel Julies, said it is imperative for an officer on duty to check the weapon they use before discharging it. 

Captain Sussana Berrange on Monday gave testimony in the South Gauteng High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court, against her colleagues Constable Caylene Whiteboy, Seargeant Scorpion Ndyalvane and Sergeant Forster Netshiongolo about the training she conducts at the SAPS Academy College in Pretoria. 

Berrange told the court that she trained Whiteboy at the police college. 

“I trained accused number 1 [Whiteboy] at the academy... We trained accused number 1 that they must always check a weapon before using it, even if the weapon was passed to them by another colleague,” said Berrange. 

“Accused 1 was trained that she needs to point the firearm in a safe direction, inspect the rounds and if you are not going to use the rounds then you remove them. The only time these rules can be overlooked is when officers are under threat or in danger and they do not have enough time to check their weapon,” said Berrange.

She further testified that Whiteboy was taught how to use a firearm and that one of the only times she should use lethal force is when her life or the life of civilian is under attack. 

“According to SAPS’ training programme, an officer cannot fire rubber bullets directly at a person,” she said.

During the trio’s bail application last year, Whiteboy told the Protea magistrate’s court that she fired the shot that ended Julies life under the impression that the firearm she used was loaded with rubber bullets. 

Whiteboy and Ndyalvane face a charge of murder, defeating the ends of justice, and possession of prohibited ammunition in relation to Julies’s murder. 

Netshiongolo faces a charge of being an accessory to murder after the fact, and defeating the ends of justice. 

Ndyalvane and Netshiongolo both face a charge of perjury.  

Earlier in the day, a crime scene investigator testified about what he saw when he reconstructed the scene of Julies’ murder. 

Warrant Officer Raphatla Moloi, a crime scene investigator who has been in the police service for 21 years, told the court that the main aspect of his duties include reconstruction of crime scenes. 

Moloi said he reconstructed the Julies murder scene with the assistance of Thahira Kaldine, who witnessed Julies' murder on August 26 last year. 

When going through photographs that he took on September 1, six days after the shooting, Moloi indicated to the court that Julies’ blood stains were still visible on the crime scene.

“Ms Kaldine assisted me with the reconstructing the scene as she witnessed the incident. There was still blood stains on the scene as she explained what transpired on the night,” Moloi told the court. 

Moloi further told the court that part of his duties with regards to Julies’ case was taking pictures of the state vehicle that Julies was ferried in to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Diepkloof, Soweto. 

The trail continues.