Update
KNYSNA NEWS - The murder case of Knysna local Shantel Zeelie recommenced on Wednesday 7 March after defence attorney Daan Dercksen fell ill and was unable to appear in court on 5 and 6 March.
In the 1 March edition of this paper, the Knysna-Plett Herald's report covered the first seven days of the trial against Zeelie’s ex-boyfriend Eugene Stander, nine years after her murder on 5 January 2009.
The last testimony heard by the Circuit High Court in Knysna at that stage was that of MTN's Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) liaison manager Dharmesh Kanti, which focused largely on Stander's cellphone records.
Kanti said records show that Stander's phone signal was picked up by MTN's antenna at the Heads on the day of Zeelie's disappearance and murder.
The defence labelled Kanti's testimony as hearsay though, stating that Kanti himself did not generate the information but relied purely on information received by MTN engineers and technicians.
From Wednesday 28 February to Friday 2 March the testimony of a police cellphone investigator and Stander’s girlfriend at the time of Zeelie’s murder testified.
Warrant officer Anna van Niekerk of Worcester testified about her analyses of Stander's cellphone records, maps used in the case regarding placement of cellphone towers in Knysna, and about her maintained contact with service providers and “test calls” she conducted to establish which cellphone towers were activated in which areas of Knysna."
Van Niekerk’s testimony concluded on Wednesday, and her cross-examination on Thursday.
On Friday, Danine Klue, Stander’s girlfriend at the time, testified regarding various aspects of the case.
According to her testimony, Stander visited her on the night of 5 January 2009 as he did most nights, from about 18:30 to 22:00.
She said it was a normal evening and that there was nothing strange about Stander.
She was also not aware that the accused and deceased had been in contact with each other.
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