A Gauteng businesswoman who survived a brutal gang rape in 2010 and who is suing the police for their failure to properly investigate her case, was yesterday grilled during the start of her cross-examination by the defence in the Port Elizabeth High Court.
An apprehensive Andy Kawa, 51, remained adamant the investigating officer in her case failed to keep her up to date on the progress of the investigation. She added the officer had not contacted her again since December 16 2010 after he allegedly left her to view CCTV footage of the Kings Beach area, on her own, three days after her attack.
Kawa said it was only after she hired a private investigation company, SSG, to assist the police that the footage was obtained and handed over to the investigating officer.
But Chris Mouton SC, acting on behalf of the police and citing entries in the docket report and investigating officer's pocket book, indicated to the court that on several occasions the warrant officer, Matabata Madubedube, had contacted Kawa with updates.
In one incident Mouton said Madubedube had made an entry in the docket report that he had contacted Kawa on February 7 2011 to inform her about the case's progress.
"I think it is easy for people to write things on the docket. At that time I had already gone to SSG because I had not been contacted. I would not have wasted money [on private investigators] if I had received this call," Kawa said.
Part of Kawa's claim in her R6-million civil case against the minister of police, former head of Humewood police station Brigadier Ronald Koll and two investigating officers, including Madubedube, was that she was never offered the opportunity to view video footage of the day she was abducted at Kings Beach, held captive and gang-raped over 16 hours.
"I was supposed to watch the CCTV footage. I went with the investigating officer to view the footage and to ... [see if I knew the perpetrators].
"After being dropped off [at the Humewood fire station where the footage could be viewed] I was told the investigating officer had to go do something with a car.
"When the investigating officer did not arrive back I left with my cousin. The next day I called the investigating officer and up until today I have not viewed the footage," said Kawa.
Mouton disputed her claim, saying Kawa mandated SSG to investigate when she had had access to stills and video clips of the footage towards the end of February 2011.
The case continues.