The grandmother of one of the victims of an alleged serial rapist made an unusual request before being sworn-in to testify in court — she wanted to pray first.
The 75-year-old woman‚ who cannot be named to protect the identity of her granddaughter‚ testified in the trial of Peter Dashboy Khoza on Monday.
Khoza faces 152 charges in the high court in Johannesburg‚ sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court‚ including 46 of kidnapping‚ 29 of rape‚ 28 of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and 19 of compelling or causing a child to witness a sexual assault. He allegedly targeted girls as young as nine.
He allegedly committed the offences between 2007 and 2013 in Tembisa and Olifantsfontein.
It is procedure that a witness is sworn-in before they give evidence and after they have indicated they do not have an objection to taking the oath.
As the court interpreter was about to swear the grandmother in‚ she asked the could if she could pray first before she took the oath.
She was allowed to pray and was then sworn-in. She prayed aloud that she would tell the truth and relay to the court everything she had witnessed.
The woman is the grandmother of Khoza’s last alleged victim‚ who was raped in April 2013. He was arrested on June 23 2013.
The girl’s grandmother told the court that she was present when Khoza was arrested.
On that day‚ her granddaughter‚ who is now 14 years old‚ and another girl were walking in front of her and she was chatting with another woman‚ she said.
“[The girl] came running to me. She held me tight. She was screaming. She told me she had just seen the man who had raped her. She pointed him out to me.”
The grandmother said she blew a whistle she had been given by the police and called out to members of their community.
“People came out and I told them what was happening.”
She said she saw Khoza pick up a brick and he was about to throw it at her granddaughter‚ but community members stopped him and assaulted him.
The grandmother showed the court a photograph she said she took of Khoza when he was apprehended by the community members.
Advocate Livingstone Nkuna‚ representing Khoza‚ did not dispute that the photograph was of his client.
The grandmother pleaded with the court and both counsel for the state and defence to give the photograph back to her because she wanted to show every member of her family the man who had raped her granddaughter.
The woman also told the court that she searched Khoza that day and found his identity document and passport‚ which she later gave to the police.
Nkuna told her that Khoza denied that she took his ID because he still had it in his possession.
“Then it means she has two sets of IDs‚” the woman replied.
The trial continues.
A prayer for the truth in court
The grandmother of one of the victims of an alleged serial rapist made an unusual request before being sworn-in to testify in court — she wanted to pray first.
The 75-year-old woman‚ who cannot be named to protect the identity of her granddaughter‚ testified in the trial of Peter Dashboy Khoza on Monday.
Khoza faces 152 charges in the high court in Johannesburg‚ sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court‚ including 46 of kidnapping‚ 29 of rape‚ 28 of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and 19 of compelling or causing a child to witness a sexual assault. He allegedly targeted girls as young as nine.
He allegedly committed the offences between 2007 and 2013 in Tembisa and Olifantsfontein.
It is procedure that a witness is sworn-in before they give evidence and after they have indicated they do not have an objection to taking the oath.
As the court interpreter was about to swear the grandmother in‚ she asked the could if she could pray first before she took the oath.
She was allowed to pray and was then sworn-in. She prayed aloud that she would tell the truth and relay to the court everything she had witnessed.
The woman is the grandmother of Khoza’s last alleged victim‚ who was raped in April 2013. He was arrested on June 23 2013.
The girl’s grandmother told the court that she was present when Khoza was arrested.
On that day‚ her granddaughter‚ who is now 14 years old‚ and another girl were walking in front of her and she was chatting with another woman‚ she said.
“[The girl] came running to me. She held me tight. She was screaming. She told me she had just seen the man who had raped her. She pointed him out to me.”
The grandmother said she blew a whistle she had been given by the police and called out to members of their community.
“People came out and I told them what was happening.”
She said she saw Khoza pick up a brick and he was about to throw it at her granddaughter‚ but community members stopped him and assaulted him.
The grandmother showed the court a photograph she said she took of Khoza when he was apprehended by the community members.
Advocate Livingstone Nkuna‚ representing Khoza‚ did not dispute that the photograph was of his client.
The grandmother pleaded with the court and both counsel for the state and defence to give the photograph back to her because she wanted to show every member of her family the man who had raped her granddaughter.
The woman also told the court that she searched Khoza that day and found his identity document and passport‚ which she later gave to the police.
Nkuna told her that Khoza denied that she took his ID because he still had it in his possession.
“Then it means she has two sets of IDs‚” the woman replied.
The trial continues.
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