The incident is alleged to have occurred in Ramotswa on November 25, 2005 while the officers were on patrol. Pedzai Hanganani told the court that on that night a special constable entered their house and ordered that they all undress before he dragged her out of the house where soldiers were waiting. She claimed that the officer was assaulting her. They assaulted the two of them with sjamboks and forced the man to have sex with her but he refused, she told the court.
However, while under cross examination by defence attorney Langwani Langwani, the witness told the court that she did not describe her assailants because the police never told her to do so. Further, the woman disowned contents of her two statements, accusing the police of distorting what she told them. The court heard that the witness only described her assailants after four identification parades that were held between November 28 and 29, 2005. Langwani argued that some of the accused persons were not in Ramotswa at the time of the alleged incident.
While under cross-examination by another defence attorney Busang Manewe, the witness said that she was confused during the identification parades and that she could have been acting foolishly.
She disputed what the investigating officer had written in his statements and further accused him of distorting information regarding what transpired between the time of the alleged incident and the trial. She told the court that she made an additional statement because she had forgotten other important things such as being assaulted by soldiers.
However, Manewe told her to stop lying to the court. He told her that she had picked on the wrong people because she was in a state of confusion to which she replied that though she was confused she was aware of what she was doing.
The investigating officer was scheduled to testify late afternoon.
The five soldiers are Samuel Seshabo, Pako Tlhabaki, Thato Bojosi, Moagi Samson, and Koziba Balopi. They are represented by Tshiamo Rantao, Batsho Nthoi and Manewe, while Langwani represents the two special constables.
