MOB JUSTICE TRIAL Woman denies inciting violence
THE TRIAL of a group of Lesotho nationals accused of beating a man to death and setting his body alight during an apparent case of mob justice, continued in the Northern Cape High Court yesterday.
The mother of the woman whose stabbing on New Year’s Eve apparently led to residents taking justice into their own hands, yesterday denied that she had incited or committed any acts of violence.
Mamotsebetsi Rhakojane, who testified yesterday, will be back in court this morning along with her six co-accused – Bokang Sehapi, Khunoan Mafoe, Tebogo Ngoanahali, Retshidtswe Ngoanahali, John Thene and Taeli Rakhiba – in connection with the fatal beating of Skhukula Mosebetsi in Madiba Square on December 31 last year.
The matter was postponed in September following the witness testimony of Veronica van Wyk, who told the court that she had been visiting her sister and fellow witness in the trial, Shirley, when a crowd of angry residents, including the accused, arrived at her sister’s shack.
According to earlier witness testimony, the sisters, along with the deceased and other residents, were seeing in the new year when their festivities were cut short when a friend, Ezekiel Ramakoae, returned from buying cigarettes covered in blood.
Ramakoae also completed his testimony during previous proceedings.
The three witnesses all claimed that, after noticing a commotion outside, the sisters stepped out to investigate, leaving Ramakoae, Mosebetsi and two children inside the shack.
They also stated that Rhakojane sprinkled paraffin on the shack and attempted to set the structure alight despite their pleas not to put the children in harm’s way.
However, as the trial continued yesterday, Rhakojane vehemently denied these claims.
She told the court that she had been at home on the night in question, when she received a call from her daughter, saying that she had been stabbed.
“On December 31 2016, I was at home from around 6pm and received a call from my daughter at around 11pm, saying that she had been stabbed. I went to find out what had happened but I didn’t throw any bricks, bottles or other objects and never tried to set the place alight,” Rhakojane testified.
“Shirley claims that she was kneeling to beg me to remove the children while I sprinkled paraffin and yet it didn’t touch her. She says I started a fire but it didn’t burn her. None of this makes sense.”
Rhakojane further added that while the three witnesses were adamant that she had been enticing the crowd to resort to violence, this had not been the case as she had not known her co-accused prior to the incident.
“She isn’t telling the truth. How did she see it was me when it was dark? I had nothing to do with the attack and only heard from the police that the person died.”
Under cross-examination, Rhakojane explained that following the call from her daughter she had walked from her home to Madiba Square, an estimated 45 minutes away, in order to gain clarity about the situation.
The State questioned her version of events, asking why it had only been the deceased who had been left to bare the brunt of the attack when there was evidence that Ramakoae had also been involved in the earlier attack on her daughter.
The trial continues.