Legal analyst says confession submitted by sangoma accused of killing toddler can’t be used

JOHANNESBURG - A legal analyst has weighed in on an earlier confession by a sangoma accused of the kidnapping and premeditated murder of a two-year-old, saying it cannot be used.

Mpumelelo Zikalala said the correct procedure needed to be followed in the event that Sebokoane Khoanyana wanted to admit his part in the crime.

On Wednesday, Khoanyana told the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates Court that he wished to abandon bail.

He was arrested in May and pointed police to the site where two-year-old Kutlwano Shalaba’s body was buried.

Mpumelelo Zikalala has outlined steps to be taken in order for a confession to be admissible: "Firstly, it must be done in front of a magistrate. A legal practitioner has to be there. If there’s a language barrier, an interpreter is needed so that a person is fully cognisant of what they are saying yes to and what they are pleading guilty to."