Coming face to face with the officers she accuses of torturing and abusing her, Tsaone Reboeleng, the only survivor in the phase 2 mass shooting cut a cool figure behind the accused dock as she listened to state’s version of event, SHARON MATHALA was in court following the proceedings.
Through her lawyer, Kgosietsile Ngaakagae, Reboeleng is challenging the confession she made saying she was forced into doing so and that it was not voluntary. Although she is yet to take the stand, the defence says when she made the confession, she had been threatened with guns pointed at her head and tortured.
Taking the stand for the state's case was the Magistrate who recorded the statement, Lentlhagetse Willie, who told the court that to the best of her knowledge, Reboeleng was of sound and sober mind when she gave the testimony. He says during their interaction, Reboeleng never told him that she had been abused and or forced to make the statement.
Taking the court to scene of February 23, in Phase 2, where 10 alleged robbers were shot dead, with Tsaone surviving with a gunshot wound that pierced through her left abdomen, a police officer, Gaobotse Letlape told the court that she was instructed to escort Reboeleng from inside the yard to a police sedan which was not parked far from the yard.
She told the court, together with her colleague the three of them sat at the back of the car waiting for further instructions. She said when she escorted Reboeleng from the yard she was bleeding around her stomach area, and that they had a police medic attend to her.
According to her recollection, after two hours they then took Reboeleng to Extension 2 clinic where she was referred to Marina . This according to Ngakaagae was torture from the state as they kept gunshot wounded person for over two hours with no medical assistance.
The officer further told the court that Reboeleng was treated at the back of the police van by their police medical officer. Ngakaagae however argued this was not enough as according to the police, there was an ambulance, which should have been used to treat his client and then transfer her to a medical facility.
Ngakaagae argued that keeping Reboeleng for two hours had no basis because she was not helping the ongoing operation in any way at the time. Ngaakaagae says the police were using the two hours to extract information from Reboeleng, who was in no condition to give the police any information, because she had just been shot and that her housemate had also been executed in front of her.
To which the police responded that they never interrogated Reboeleng outside the scene, whilst she was injured and that they were just chatting with her, to which he responded,” Chat with her? Why? Are you her friend? What were you asking her about the weather? Shopping?
Next to take the stand was another police officer who escorted Reboeleng when she went to record her statement at the extension 2 magistrate court, She too confirms that Reboeleng was calm and that she was not under any threat.
Next to take the stand was a prison officer who also confirmed that Reboeleng was detained at the women prison and that she was never tortured. She says in fact Reboeleng had been given special treatment during her time in prison.
She said that when she was brought in, Reboeleng was asked if she was ever assaulted by the police and she answered the prison official in the negative.
The last to take the stand was the investigating officer (IO) in the matter, Ranto Mmereki. Mmereki also told the court that Reboeleng voluntarily issued her confession statement and that she was never tortured.
When Ngakaagae put it to him that the police ill-treated her when they made her sleep in a police cell, on a mat on the floor 24 hours after her operation and that they did not allow her to heal from gunshot wound and that she was further denied access to legal representation for 20 days, the IO said , “police cells have mats and so she did not sleep on the floor at least.” In the end the state has denied torturing Reboeleng , they say she voluntarily gave a confession statement. The case continues October 14th where Reboeleng is expected to give a sworn testimony in trial within a trial.
The case continues.
