By GRACE CHAILE-LESOETSA
A KABULONGA Boys Secondary School leaver yesterday identified murder accused, Elvis Nsokolo as the person who unleashed a snapping jab that sent him to the ground during the fight with pupils from Twin Palm Secondary School.
The witness stated that Nsokolo was in the forefront of the Twin Palm Secondary School group of pupils who attacked Kabulonga Boys Secondary School pupils last year.
In this matter, Nsokolo and three other juveniles, who were then pupils of Twin Palm Secondary School are alleged to have killed 17-year-old Ryan Phiri, a Grade 12 pupil at Kabulonga Boys Secondary School on December 4, 2020.
But the four denied committing the offence.
When the matter came up for continued trial yesterday before Judge Sharon Newa, Vincent Ngoma testified that he and four other classmates while on their way home on that fateful day met other classmates who were looking for their friend Tobias.
Since they knew where he was, they decided to take them to Malata compound. There, they met with other classmates who included Tobias and Ryan.
After sometime, he stated that they saw three Kabulonga Boys Secondary School pupils soiled in mud running towards them.
The trio reported that Twin Palm pupils were beating any Kabulonga Boys pupil.
Ngoma said they too decided to ran for their safety.
“We just saw Twin Palm pupils coming and our classmate Benson ran towards them. We too decided to run after him since Twin Palm pupils were many. “We asked them why they were beating Kabulonga pupils, and they did not respond. And then one of them punched me and I fell to the ground. I wanted to retaliate but other pupils came and I ran away,” he narrated.
Ngoma said he was later informed that the person who punched him was the Twin Palm school head boy Elvis.
When he was asked by the court if the same Elvis was in court, the witness pointed at the accused Elvis Nsokolo as the person who punched him.
Ngoma also narrated that when they were being chased one of the classmates remained behind.
“As they were chasing us, one of our classmates remained behind. I went back for him but Twin Palm boys surrounded me and hit me with stones and sticks,so I ran away as my hand was bleeding,” he said.
The witness said he ran towards Kabulonga Primary at the place known as the Vet where he tried to wash off the blood.
“As I was washing the blood off at the tap at the Vet, I saw Ryan, he was bleeding on the side of the head, just near the ear. He was even struggling to walk.
Before I could even talk to him, Twin Palm boys came and all of us ran away and that was the last time I saw him. The next day I just heard that he had died,” he said.
He claimed that Kabulonga pupils fought back in defence but they were outnumbered.
And a Twin Palm Secondary School teacher Lewis Lupando identified the four accused as former pupils at the school.
Mr Lupando narrated that on that day while conducting examination awareness in the school hall, he saw Kabulonga Boys pupils walking on the Twin Palm Road which made their pupils jittery. But he said the situation was managed.
Judge Newa adjourned the matter to today for continued trial.
