In an explosive testimony, alleged baby snatcher Karabo Tau said cops interrogating her forced her to falsely admit that she had kidnapped twin Kwahlelwa Tiwane.
The 18-year-old, dressed in her school uniform, her isiXhosa teacher, Thokozile Godana, and the school’s IT manager, Johan Thompson, took the stand in the Bellville Magistrate's Court yesterday.
It’s been almost three weeks since baby Kwahlelwa was allegedly snatched by a woman named Monica, who had posed as a social worker and offered to assist the family.
Tau told the court she had been interrogated by four detectives and that she was coerced into admitting that foreign nationals had made her snatch the baby.
The teen said a detective told her to admit to being Monica, while another detective went through her phone.
She said detectives asked for her accomplices’ names and she gave them the names of the only two foreigners she knew, which were Elly Kibunda and another man.
Tau testified that she went straight home after class, and explained how long it takes her to get to the taxi rank and home.
She added that the baby’s mother, Asanda Tiwane, was lying.
Thompson took to the stand to testify on video footage presented by the defence, which showed Tau was at school around the time the baby was taken.
ALIBI: Tau shown on the school’s footage
Thompson testified that there were about 60 cameras at Claremont High and all the cameras had software, which made it very difficult to alter the time stamp on the footage.
Godana testified: “Karabo Tau was at my class from 2pm on the 16th of January and left school at 3pm.”
The trial continues.