Accused claims he had no part in Kamma Park murder

One of the four men accused of the murder of 76-year-old Denise Webber denied any involvement in her death, telling  the Port Elizabeth High Court  he was nowhere near the scene on the day.

Testifying in his own defence on Monday, Mkhuseli Ngqanda, 29, told the court that on August 20 2015 he had driven to Kabega Park to drop off lunch for his girlfriend, who worked in the area selling refuse bags.

According to Ngqanda, he had given his co-accused Fikile Mengo, 27, a lift and dropped him off at the Needham Street, Kabega Park, property where Webber was later found strangled in the garden cottage where she lived.

Ngqanda, Mengo along with Sinethemba Nenembe, 33, and Thanduxolo Vumazonke, 23, face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

They have all pleaded not guilty.

According to Mengo, during his earlier testimony, Nenembe had hatched the plan to rob the Needham Street property where Mengo had previously done odd jobs.

It was also Nenembe who had orchestrated the murder of Webber, Mengo said.

On Monday, Ngqanda claimed that on the day of the murder he had driven Mengo to Kabega Park and after dropping him off, had gone back to the township.

He did not specify where exactly he had gone, but claimed he had handed his car keys over to a friend who used his car for the day.

Ngqanda claimed he had left his cellphone in the car to charge and that his friend brought his car back later that day.

Eight days after the murder, Mengo handed himself over to police and gave them a full confession statement, which was accepted by the court as evidence.

The day after his arrest, Mengo pointed out the homes of Nenembe and Ngqanda to police, where some of the stolen property was found.

Ngqanda told the court on Monday that at the time of his arrest he was told he was being charged with robbery alone.

Twelve hours later, he claimed, he was informed he was also being charged with murder.

The trial continues.