The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has revealed that the AK-47 rifle used in the murder of engineer Armand Swart was also involved in the killings of popular musicians DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos, and Don Tindleni.
Testifying before the commission on Tuesday, Capt Solomon Modisane, a senior forensic analyst at the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory in Silverton, Pretoria, said cartridge cases recovered from the Sandton and Orlando murder scenes matched those from the rifle seized in the Bramley case.
Two suspects, including police detective Michael Pule Tau, were arrested in Bramley, Johannesburg, in April last year shortly after Swart’s murder in Vereeniging. They were allegedly found in possession of three 9mm pistols and an assault rifle.
The Sandton case was linked to the murder of DJ Sumbody, while the Orlando cases involved the killings of DJ Vintos and DJ Don Tindleni.
Modisane, who was called in from KwaZulu-Natal’s political killings task team on December 20 to compare ballistic evidence from the four cases, said he discovered that the same firearms had been examined both in Pretoria and in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal.
“I established the same firearms initially examined in Silverton were the same firearms examined in KwaZulu-Natal according to the system,” he told the commission.
He said it was “bizarre” that the same case was handled by two separate laboratories. He later learned that investigating officers had requested a re-examination in KwaZulu-Natal by an independent analyst after reporting irregularities in the initial Pretoria tests.
Modisane said he received two evidence bags containing cartridge cases and bullets from the Sandton, Orlando, and Bramley crime scenes. His task was to compare the cartridge cases rather than conduct a full re-examination.
His findings showed that the cartridge cases from the Sandton and Orlando scenes were fired from the same AK-47 rifle recovered from the Bramley suspects.
“All the exhibits were fired from the same firearm, an AK-47. That firearm murdered DJ Sumbody, DJ Vintos and Don Tindleni,” he said.
Modisane also explained the process used to retrieve a serial number from a firearm with an obliterated number, saying it involves magnetic and acid etching.
“We prepare the surface where the serial number was originally stamped and apply chemicals to make it visible. When the number appears, we note it,” he explained.
He added that a failure to retrieve a number could be due to lack of training, expired chemicals, or errors in following proper procedures.
