The state may have to reopen their case against murder accused Melvin Volkwyn after a new witness came forward saying she saw slain toddler Orderick Lucas with his mother a day after he allegedly went missing.
The testimony by Locrisia Goliath, 36, came under scrutiny during the ongoing murder trial at the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday.
Orderick was last seen on 24 March 2019 but it was only four days later when his mother, Davedine, said she discovered he was missing.
On 2 April 2019, his tiny body was discovered in a drain a street away from his ouma’s home and Volkwyn was charged with his murder after Davedine claimed that he was the last person to care for the boy.
To date, the trial has focused on who was last seen with Orderick with claims by Davedine that Volkwyn told her he took the child to his ouma’s house, which Volkwyn has denied, saying he gave the child to Davedine during the early hours on 25 March.
According to Davedine’s testimony, she last saw her son on Sunday, 24 March.
Last week defence lawyer Susan Kuun called Locrisia to the stand and she claimed that she had seen mother and son together the next day, Monday 25 March.
Locrisia told the court she saw Davedine carrying Orderick on her back at a local spaza shop where she went to buy a kimbie.
“We spoke liggies (softly) and I asked her what happened to her head and then my mother spoke to her further. I went home with my Jive and Chicagos,” she testified.
Prosecutor Mornay Julius described her testimony as the most important evidence in the case but questioned various aspects of it.
“It is your testimony that you did not give a statement to police and that your conscience bothered you for two years and one month.
“My question to you is what did you do? You did nothing.”
She replied: “You mean besides going to the police station and asking for the detective?”
Locrisia said her conscience bothered her so much that she went to Kleinvlei Police Station to speak to the detective but was told he did not work there.
“They told me he doesn’t work there. I did not tell the police why I was there because you don’t know who you can trust at Kleinvlei Police Station.”
She says she only spoke up when Kuun visited Kleinvlei after the State closed its case, and consulted with state witnesses the prosecutor had elected not to call to the stand.