Sotheni found with cellphone while in custody, prosecutor tells court

Matipandile Sotheni, who is accused of the contract killing of Marius van der Merwe, also known as Witness D, was recently found in possession of a cellphone while in custody. Prosecutor Trott Mphahlele informed the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court that the phone was discovered during a search at the correctional facility on September 2nd.

Mphahlele claims that the cellphone was used to communicate with someone outside of the facility, and is requesting additional time to analyze its data and determine if it is connected to the murder investigation. The prosecutor explained that during their preliminary investigations, they found three cell phones, with one in particular directly linked to the accused.

It has been confirmed that Sotheni was communicating with an individual outside the correctional facility.