Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘Monster’ 4 to know fate soon
Kotze, three co-accused, to face judgment on Monday
THE High Court in Pretoria is ready to give judgment in the trial of so-called “Modimolle Monster” Johan Kotze and his co-accused.
Acting Judge Bert Bam said last week that he would start delivering judgment on Monday. He would complete it even if it meant extended court hours.
Kotze, Andries Sithole, Pieta Mohlake and Sello Mphaka are on trial for allegedly murdering Kotze’s stepson, Conrad Bonnette, 19, as well as kidnapping, repeatedly raping and attempting to murder Kotze’s former wife, Ina Bonnette, in his Modimolle, Limpopo, home on January 3 last year.
Kotze denied guilt, claiming he could not be held accountable for his actions that day.
A defence psychologist testified that Kotze had a narcissis- A CORRECTIONAL Services official was called to explain to the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court yesterday why four men arrested in connection with the murder of former Johannesburg cluster commander Major- General Tirhani Maswanganyi had not received medical attention.
Senior correctional officer Heinz Peter Kramer told the court he would see to it that Tshepo Mosai, 30, Roger Godfrey Moseki, 33, Ndaedzo Isaac tic personality disorder, and suffered from acute stress disorder and major depression, which resulted in a state of dissociation during the incident.
A State psychologist, however, testified that Kotze did not suffer from any mental disorders, and could be held accountable for his actions.
Sithole, Mohlake and Mphaka claimed that Kotze had threatened to shoot them if they did not co-operate. They insisted they had pretended to rape Bonnette because they could not get erections.
Bonnette testified that the three men looked on while Kotze sexually tortured her and mutilated her breasts, before taking turns to rape her.
She was still tied to a bed with tape over her mouth when she heard her son repeatedly say, “Please uncle, don’t shoot”, followed by three shots. He died at the scene after being shot in the face, chest and knee.
Bonnette had to undergo reconstructive surgery, and was put on antiretroviral treatment after it emerged that Sithole tested positive for HIV following his arrest.
Prosecutor Retha Meintjes argued that all the accused were guilty of attempting to murder Bonnette because of Sithole’s HIV status.
Sithole’s advocate, Jan van Rooyen, and Francois van As, for Mohlake and Mphaka, argued that their clients had not been aware of Sithole’s or their own HIV status, and could not be convicted of attempted murder.
Van As argued that his clients had “played Russian roulette” because they did not know each other or the victim’s HIV status. Bam remarked that he had never heard of a rapist who first asked his victim if she had Aids.
Van As said his clients were just as traumatised as Bonnette, because Kotze had threatened to kill them. He argued that the absence of DNA evidence supported his clients’ story that they had not raped Bonnette.
The absence of any physical injuries to Bonnette also supported this.
“Their intention was not to go there and rape her. They were there against their will. There is ample evidence to support their version that they were threatened,” he said.
Piet Greyling, for Kotze, said the court should accept Kotze’s version that the other three acted on their own, and that Kotze had not threatened them with a firearm.
“He was angry with her. It was coincidence that they became co- perpetrators,” Greyling said. – Sapa