EXCLUSIVE: Video footage of Soni court evidence
Watch much anticipated video footage of Soni handed in as evidence in court
The much anticipated video recording of Rajivee Soni was finally shown in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday.
Soni is on trial for the murder of Dr Bhavish Sewram, whom he suspected of having a relationship with his wife Kerusha.
The clip, which is a few seconds long, shows Soni, at some point driving and talking to someone. The video does not have any reference to murdered Dr Bhavish Sewram, or a plot to kill him.
The people speaking in the video, do however, make reference to a person being shot in the leg.
The context of the video was placed on dispute by defence lawyer Naren Sangham who said Soni would be able to explain the recording if required.
The State alleges the recording was made a day after the alleged author of the video — Professor Sithebe — had tipped Sewram off about Soni’s plans to kill him, and “lied” to Soni that he had shot at the doctor.
Sangham told the court yesterday the defence admits the video depicts Soni talking to someone whose face is not visible in the recording.
Sangham said he would dispute the video’s originality, that it was not tampered with, its authenticity and the context it was made but agreed that the video would be admissible as evidence.
“We admit Mr Soni is one of the speakers. The only person’s conversation on that recording that is admitted are the words of the accused [Soni] … What has been said by the second speaker cannot be disputed, but what needs to be established is the context under which that conversation took place. If put on his defence, Mr Soni, will give an explanation for that recording,” said Sangham.
State witness Professor Sithebe confirmed in brief evidence on Thursday that he had taken the video on his cellphone while in the car with Soni. He said they had been driving close to Sewram’s surgery and that it was recorded on February 20, 2013.
In his evidence in chief, Sithebe said Soni had fetched him from his house and taken him to Sewram’s surgeries.
“He wanted to take me to show me the doctor’s surgery and asked if I would be able to do the job. We went to Boshoff street where Soni pointed out the doctor’s room on the left. Then he told me that the doctor also had another surgery in Northdale and took me there. He gave the times the doctor would be working – the times he got there in the morning and when he left. He told me if the doctor was not at one surgery, he was at the other. After that he asked me if there was any way I could obtain a firearm to shoot the doctor. He asked me whether my official work firearms were licensed. I was startled and knew he wanted me to kill the doctor,” said Sithebe.
Sewram was murdered by Sabelo Dlamini, who pleaded guilty to the crime, as he left his surgery on the night of May 13, 2013.
The trial was postponed to November 2 for various expert witnesses to testify.
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