MBOMBELA – The state was supposed to call more witnesses in its case against a man and woman from Masoyi who allegedly committed 49 counts of rape and assault at their initiation school.
The trial resumed in the local Circuit High Court on Monday.
Mr Johan Jabulani Mlombo and Ms Sister Mapalese Khoza pleaded not guilty when they were charged with the rape and assault of 21 nine- to 17-year-old attendants of their initiation school in Masoyi.
These acts were allegedly committed during August 2012. Their trial started in the Mbombela Circuit High Court two weeks ago and resumed yesterday after a week’s postponement.
Lowvelder previously reported on the detailed testimony that was delivered by the victims during the accused’s court appearance two weeks ago. Two witnesses, aged 20 and 12, testified via closed-circuit television. According to the 20-year-old, she was assaulted by Khoza and raped by Mlombo.
“Even if we wanted to leave, we could not, because we were told that we would go insane if we left. We did not want to go mad,” she testified.
The testimony of a 12-year-old, who clutched a teddy bear as she recounted what happened to her at the age of nine, shocked the gallery.
A third witness was 15 years old when she attended the initiation school. She was cross-examined about the day that the police came to free the 21 girls from the initiation school. “The police were summoned to come and get us,” she said. Defence advocate Madala Mulaudzi argued that the police were called because the girls’ parents did not pay the initiation school fee in full.
“This is not true,” the witness stated. “The police were called because an act was contravened.”
This is how the story broke online.
