South Africa: Cops deny torture in muti murder case

Police officers investigating a muti murder involving a six-year-old Mpumalanga girl have denied torturing one of the accused into confessing to the crime. They were testifying on Thursday in a trial-within-a-trial where Sifiso Vilakazi, 25, Thabile Mnisi, 33, and Stella Zulu, 49, are charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The court heard that Zulu was not acquitted from the crime, but had challenged the confession statement she said she was tortured into signing. This led to a separate trial for the court to establish if her allegations were true. The court heard Zulu was tortured with a plastic bag and suffocated during interrogations until she signed the confession.

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