One of the state witnesses in the SASM trial has himself been charged. Ezekiel MOLEFI of Soweto, who had told the court that he had been forced by police to make a statement and was thereupon arrested (see FOCUS 20 p.11) was on 9 February accused of perjury in Kempton Park Regional Court.
The charge sheet claimed that on 26 October 1976 Molefi made a statement to the effect that he had set a Soweto policeman's house alight using paraffin in August of that year, but that in court on 10 November 1978 he denied all connection with the incident, saying that police had used electric shock torture to get him to say he had stoned police on 16 June and poured paraffin into the Soweto house. In fact, although he had witnessed the latter incident he had not participated. According to the state, this was a perjured statement.
Molefi was bailed to appear on 6 March. (RDM 10.2.79)
