Alleged Paedophile, Witnesses Contradict Each Other

Lebogang Mosikare | Monday June 20, 2016 15:16

 

The accused was aged 19 in 2013, when he allegedly raped his then five-year-old cousin at their family house at Riverside.

The witness said that he and his two other relatives left Riverside on December 20, disputing the accused’s statement before court, saying they left for Kasane on December 19, 2013. “Me and my other relatives left for Kasane on December 20, 2013. The accused was not telling the truth when he said we left for Kasane in the morning of December 19,” said the witness when asked by prosecutor Mothusi Meshack.

“I am not sure if he remained behind when we left home for the bus rank around 8am because we may have also used different routes,” said the witness after Meshack had put it to him that the accused may have shortly returned home and committed the offence after the family had left.

Drama ensued when the witness tried to evade questions from Meshack, to which Senior Magistrate Thebeetsile Mulalu responded with a stern warning.

“The law empowers me to imprison you if you don’t answer questions as they are put to you. You could have told the court that you were not prepared to testify after you took oath,” said Mulalu. Otsile Mangadi who also testified on behalf of the accused, said although he employed him as a conductor, the accused used to drink alcohol heavily and come to work late, but eventually quit and became a staunch member of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). 

He said the accused never shared with him any information on events of December 20, after he learned about his arrest by Tatitown police. He said he could not recall events of December 20 and 21, 2013.

Meshack put it to Mangadi that his conduct shows that he was trying to protect the accused, especially that he told the court that he treated him like his son.

Mulalu ordered the accused to file his final submissions on June 22.