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The 34th witness, Warrant Officer in the SAPS, Seonyatseng Jack Maine, who is attached to the chemical section of the forensic department, made these revelations during the 11th day of Gen Mujuru’s inquest at the Harare Magistrate’s Courts.
The South African experts in their reports said no ignitable liquids and explosives were observed on the debris.
Warrant Officer Maine was one of the three SAPS experts who testified yesterday and were cross-examined by Mujuru family lawyer, Mr Thakor Kewada, who was being helped by SA pathologist, Dr Reggie Perumel, hired by the family.
In his evidence-in-chief Warrant Officer Maine said he received exhibits from Beatrice Police Station on 23 September in three sealed bags.
The policeman, who has been a forensic analyst for four years and worked over eight years in chemical analysis, said he opened the three bags that contained burnt clothes, ashes and a black solid material.
“I was instructed to examine the exhibits to check for ignitable liquids. These are liquids which accelerate a fire,” he said.
He said after carrying out some tests on the debris he found no ignitable liquids.
He, however, said that did not mean that there were no ignitable liquids at the fire scene.
Asked by Mr Clemence Chimbare of the Attorney General’s Office what he meant he said: “When you attend a fire scene collection and packaging is very important, exposure to heat may affect results.
“They (exhibits) should be stored in a container made of metal that is not corroded or they should be put in an oven bag so that it traps the required material.”
Asked how the exhibits he got were stored, he said they were put in a plastic bag, which might have affected the results.
He, however, said he was not suggesting that this was what happened in the case in question. He said his examination was centred on ignitable liquids only. “If there were any other substances, I would not have detected them because the methods I used were for liquids only,” he said.
Warrant Officer Maine also said he could not also tell if there was gas on the debris.
Asked by presiding magistrate Mr Walter Chikwanha if he would detect ignitable liquids if samples were taken from a place near a spot with chemicals, he said he would not.
Quizzed further Warrant Officer Maine said if an exhibit was stored in a plastic bag they end up repackaging it and chances may be harder to detect anything.
Warrant Officer Maine said in South Africa sniffer dogs were also used to detect ignitable liquids in such scenes.
Asked by Mr Kewada about the possibility of contamination given that the exhibits were kept in Zimbabwe for at least three weeks, he said: “No, as long as they were packaged well.”
Earlier the 33rd witness, Dzunisani Porcia Chauke, a Warrant Officer with the South African Police Service and a forensic analyst, said she conducted tests on the tissues of Gen Mujuru and her daughter Kumbirai’s blood sample.
On 19 September last year their department received the samples in question and they were given to an analyst the same day.
She said they extracted DNA from Gen Mujuru’s tissues and Kumbirai’s blood sample.
“The tissue sample was of a man and blood from a woman. We concluded that paternity could not be excluded from the tissue and blood sample.
“The probability match was 99,9 percent and the alleged father has 1 000 times chances of being the biological father of the child,” she said.
Warrant Officer Chauke said it took at least two months for them to complete the tests and it was within the normal range.
She sent the results to the Zimbabwe Republic Police Forensic Science Department director Mr Bethel Mutandiro first through an email before a hard copy was dispatched.
Lieutenant Kgotlakgomang Ariel Lenong, who is the chief forensic analyst of SAPS Scientific Analysis Department, said he received the exhibits from Zimbabwe on 4 October last year.
Lt Kgotlakgomang, who has 14 years experience of doing chemical analysis, said he was requested to examine the exhibits in question to check for explosives.
He said he used two techniques to test for the explosives, one of which is chromatography, and he concluded that there were no inorganic materials in all exhibits. He said his tests did not include gases.
The inquest continues today with the pathologist Dr Gabriel Alviero who examined Gen Mujuru’s remains giving evidence.
Online Reporter