7de Laan
Thanks to Natalie’s accusations, Xander’s freedom is at stake.
Xander’s ( Theo Jantjies) court case, where his clerk Natalie (Daniella Deysel) accused him of sexual assault on Tuesday 12 January, is in full swing. And following dramatic witness testimonies from Xander’s sister-in-law Bonita (Hildegardt Whites) and his adopted brother Errol (Christo Davids) on Wednesday 2 February, things aren’t looking rosy for Xander. “Everything is against him and as a legal expert, he knows that his defence isn’t solid enough,” Theo explains. On Monday 8 February, the judge will be ready to deliver her ruling and at this stage, it seems that Xander’s about to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
METHOD IN HER MADNESS
The biggest frustration for Xander is that he doesn’t know what Natalie’s motive could be. “He simply cannot figure out why she would do this to him. He gets more and more frustrated when he doesn’t get any answers,” Theo explains. On Wednesday 3 February, it’s Natalie’s turn on the witness stand and her testimony is shocking. Here’s what she says: “On the night of Tuesday 12 January, we were working late, finalising an important contract. When we were done, Xander poured us some wine and one glass turned into two and after the second glass, I stopped but Xander kept drinking. I wanted to go home but Xander started making comments about how sexy I am. He tried to stop me when I headed for the door and he got a bit heavy-handed. He kissed me and when I said ‘No!’, he pinned me down and pulled up my skirt.”
As Natalie battles to continue, Xander’s anger gets the better of him and he jumps up, calling Natalie a liar. His lawyer André (Marcus Muller) struggles to calm down his client and the tension in the courtroom builds…
IT’S ALL JUST A BLUR
On Thursday 4 February, Xander and André are caught off-guard when Vanessa (Ingrid Paulus) is called to the stand. Natalie’s lawyer Elritha (Nina Marais) sinks her teeth into Xander’s wife while she nervously sits on the witness stand and she asks Vanessa about the bribe Vanessa offered Natalie on Wednesday 20 January, hoping that Natalie would drop the charges.
Theo says that Xander is speechless. “He’s shocked. What was she thinking? But after some introspection, Xander realises that Vanessa was desperate and didn’t want to lose her husband.” Later that same day, Xander’s called to testify and he maintains that he only had one glass of wine and can’t remember the rest of the evening. “He desperately tries to explain how anxious anyone would be if they woke up with their trousers undone and wine bottles all over the place and you have no idea what happened. Something sinister took place and Natalie’s the only person who knows the truth,” Theo says.
IS THIS THE END?
The trial continues on Friday 5 February and both André and Elritha deliver their closing statements, but André’s bid to keep his client out of jail just doesn’t seem to be enough. By Monday 8 February, there’s a dark cloud hanging over the Laan when the judge prepares to deliver her verdict. A clearly nervous Natalie is seen with Elritha as they make their way to court. Then, in a moment of weakness, we finally get to see why Natalie’s been after Xander. She begins to talk about how she’d sacrificed everything to ensure this day happens and that she has nothing more to lose. We just hope that things work out in Xander’s favour and that he walks away a free man.