Court presented with pictures of Moyo kicking and slapping bank staff

Pretoria - The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria was presented with several pictures of serial escapee Bongani Moyo kicking and slapping bank staff as he executed numerous robberies in 2011.

Former policeman and member of FNB's branch protection and investigative unit, Andries Marthinus van der Linde, submitted printouts of the images on Wednesday.

He said the images were captured by security cameras in different banks during robberies. After handing them to Judge Natvarlal Ranchod, prosecutor Abe Koalepe asked Van der Linde to interpret them.

"We see that accused there [pointing at Moyo in the dock] and the action is slapping the security guard in the bank. He has a firearm in his left hand.

"In the other image we see him kicking the security guard who is lying down. We see that in the other image the bank clients are lying down.

"That can only happen when there is use of violence and threats," Van der Linde said.

In sworn statements that Moyo and his co-accused Khumbulani Sibanda submitted as part of their plea bargain, the pair made no mention of violence during the robberies.

Koalepe asked Van der Linde whether the robberies recorded on video had not been violent. Van der Linde responded in the negative.

The forensics expert told the court that some of the perpetrators seen in the videos working with Moyo and Sibanda were not in court.

The gang seen in the footage had a modus operandi similar to the one Moyo and Sibanda had confessed to using.

A third person would always stand guard at the banks' entrance, stopping patrons from leaving and entering while the robbery was in progress.

Van der Linde said he could identify that third person as Thabani Sibanda.

Moyo and Sibanda were initially charged together with Leon Ncube and Thabani Sibanda.

Moyo and Khumbulani Sibanda entered a plea bargain deal with the State. They submitted sworn statements admitting to the 15 charges brought against them.

Ncube and Thabani Sibanda will go on trial on 12 August.

On Monday, Moyo and Khumbulani Sibanda said they executed the robberies with other people known only as Max, Nxo, and another unidentified man known only to Max.

On Thursday, Van der Linde told the court that Thabani Sibanda was part of the robberies.

The gang robbed branches of the country's major banks.

Moyo and Khumbulani Sibanda said that before committing the crimes they watched the movements of customers at the banks and discussed ways of escaping after the robberies.