KwaMahlanga – Four Mpumalanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) members pleaded not guilty on Friday to killing a suspected dagga dealer.

Titus Montwedi, 34, Gebras Seoketsa, 36, Abina Nkoane and John Mboweni, 45, appeared in the Mmabatho High Court sitting in the Temba Magistrate’s Court in Hammanskraal, a Sapa correspondent reported.

They denied murdering Tebogo Kekana, of Marapyane village, outside KwaMhlanga, in Mpumalanga.

The court heard that the men, who are all members of Marapyane CPF, arrested Kekana on October 26, 2008, for allegedly dealing in dagga in the village.

Nkoane, who was Kekana’s neighbour, testified that Mboweni called him to help arrest a criminal in the area.

“After they told me who the criminal was, I told them that though the man was weak, he was very stubborn and for them to arrest him, they need to assault him,” he said under cross examination.

Nkoane said they found Kekana at his home.

Mboweni and another man went inside and came out with him moments later, he told the court.

Nkoane said he heard Mboweni threaten to kill Kekana unless he showed him where the dagga was.

“If the deceased was assaulted, I didn’t witness that assault. It may have taken place inside the house while I remained in the car,” he said.

He said they took Kekana to a local police station, where he died at the entrance.

“The last thing he said before he died was that we had broken his ribs.”

Nkoane claimed that Kekana had been sick at the time of his death.

Mboweni testified that he slapped Kekana once on his chest and said it was impossible this could have caused his death.

A post mortem report result showed that Kekana had broken ribs and died of internal bleeding.

The case was postponed until March 31 for judgment.

Sapa