Ex-teacher in principal-stabbing case seeks bail
SOME details of the private life of the man accused of stabbing his boss repeatedly were revealed when he appeared in court yesterday.
Oriah Molapo, 46, is charged with attempted murder, fraud and malicious damage to property after he allegedly attacked Paul Mosaka Primary School principal Nothemba Lebepe last year.
He apparently blamed her for his losing his job.
Molapo made his fourth appearance in front of magistrate Maggie van der Merwe in the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court since his arrest in November last year.
The appearance, which was meant to be his bail application, was adjourned after Molapo’s lawyer Peter Shelane requested that his qualifications, which form part of the fraud charge, be presented as evidence to the court.
Before testifying, Van der Merwe warned Molapo that everything he said in the bail application could be used against him as evidence, so he should be as honest as possible.
Molapo said prison would have a negative impact on the lives of his wife and two children, aged six and 12.
He also testified that he was a South African citizen and not a Lesotho national as claimed earlier.
Molapo said he had matriculated and obtained a teaching diploma from a college in Daveyton.
He had completed his degree at the University of Johannesburg.
However, Molapo could not seem to remember when he matriculated or finished his subsequent qualifications, much to the bemusement of the packed gallery.
He smiled often, looked visibly relaxed but tapped his feet throughout his testimony, which he chose to give in Sesotho.
Molapo interacted with people in the gallery as he was brought up from the holding cells.
When Shelane quizzed him on what the impact of his release would be on the community and their impression of the justice system as a whole, Molapo said he did not believe it would cause problems, again much to the bemusement of the gallery.
Van der Merwe then decided to grant the defence’s remand application, with State prosecutor Tumelo Maunye also raising no objections to the application.
Molapo is expected to return to court on Tuesday for the bail application to be completed.