By Matik Kueth
A South African digital forensic expert has told the special court in Juba that his firm was the sole private entity engaged by the South Sudanese government to handle electronic evidence in the high-profile case involving Riek Machar and seven co-accused.
Taking the stand during cross-examination, Johannesburg-based investigator Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi said his cybersecurity company, Bizz-Tracers, was contracted through South Sudan’s embassy in Pretoria, with no indication that other firms were invited to compete for the assignment.
Rafadi distanced himself from the procurement process, saying he had no visibility into how his company was selected.
He emphasized that his engagement was strictly corporate, noting that he submitted credentials in mid-2025 and was later tasked with analyzing digital material tied to the case.
At the heart of his testimony was evidence extracted from a mobile device belonging to co-accused Mam Pal Dhuor.
Rafadi told the court that messages recovered from the phone showed communication with a contact saved as “John P. K,” which he linked to Puot Kang Chol based solely on phonebook data retrieved from the device.
However, under intense questioning from defense lawyer Dr. Geri Raimondo Lgge, Rafadi acknowledged that he had not obtained independent verification from any telecommunications authority to confirm ownership of the number.
Instead, his conclusion relied entirely on how the contact was labeled in the extracted file.
The admission has raised fresh questions over the strength and independence of key digital evidence in a case already charged with political and legal weight.
Presiding judge James Alala Deng adjourned proceedings until March 25, when Rafadi is expected to continue facing cross-examination.
Machar and his co-accused remains under house arrest facing a sweeping list of charges, including treason, terrorism, and crimes against humanity.