‘JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL IN TOKOTA BOYS CASE’
ADEFENCE witness in the Tokota Boys’ trial has told the court that she is not desperate to have her brother released from detention but wants justice to prevail.
Ms Catherine Kateta, a trainee teacher, said in the Kitwe High Court that she did not care whether he was jailed or not and that if he had indeed committed the crimes, he deserved to go to jail.
She was testifying in defence of her brother David Kateta, who is charged with 18 other suspected Tokota Boys before Kitwe High Court judge-in- charge Timothy Katenekwa.
Other suspects are Limbikani Phiri 20, a 16-year-old boy, Wisdom Chilekwa 20, Bill Mulenga 20, Moses Chilambe 20, Boniface Lubansa 21, Wesley Chilambo 20 and Richard Siame also 20 years old.
Others are Kingsley Ng'ona 24, Abraham Sikazwe 19, Teddy Chilufya 20, Bernard Chirwa 25, Sydney Kasasa 20, Doctor Simwemba 34, Miles Mumba 28 and Trust Sinkala 19.
On April 30, last year they were alleged to have engaged in grievous bodily harm on the 17-year-old boy of Mulenga Township while in the second count the accused are alleged to have forced the victim to eat his faeces. In the third offence, they are charged with kidnapping or abducting. Ms Kateta said she left her brother at home and came back in the evening and found him home.
During cross examination, Ms Kateta however said she could not tell what her brother had been doing during the time she was at work.
And when asked by the State if she was desperate to have her brother released from prison, she said she did not care whether he was jailed or not.
She added that if he had indeed committed the crimes, then he served to go to jail.
Meanwhile, a 29-year-old mechanic of Chimwemwe Township told the court that he was the employer of Wisdom Chilekwa.
He however failed to produce any documentation regarding his business or proof that Chilekwa was his employee.
Dawson Mwape claimed that Chilekwa was at a garage in the industrial area and that on April 30, last year they worked together the whole day.
Mr Mwape said on April 30 last year around 07:30 hours he picked de up Chilekwa from home and went to the garage to work on a client's vehicle.
He added that they knocked off around 19:00 hours and he dropped him in Chimwemwe.
However during cross examination, Mr Mwape failed to produce proof of Chilekwa's employment status or the registration papers for his business but merely insisted that his business was not illegal.
And Shepherd Chalwe testified in defence of Bill Mulenga that he runs a shop in Chipulukusu Township and that they were together at the shop on the day of the alleged incident.