Cross-examining her, advocate Cecile Zwiegelaar, for Schutte, asked the mother what the court perceived as personal questions. Among other questions, Zwiegelaar had asked Moshoeu if Matlhomola’s father was also the father of her other six children. She answered that she only had four children with Matlhomola's father.
Zwiegelaar then asked whether the other three children belonged to [three] different fathers. She further asked whether Matlhomola’s father was maintaining his children.
Hendricks had to intervene. “We are busy with sentencing proceedings, this is not about maintenance,” he said.
He asked Zwiegelaar on the relevancy of her line of questioning. “What is the relevancy of your questions, do you have any more questions?" he asked before adjourning the court.
Defence asking irrelevant questions - Coligny judge
North West high court judge Ronald Hendricks had to adjourn the court on Wednesday after the defence lawyer of one of the two men found guilty of killing Coligny teenager Matlhomola Moshoeu kept on posing what the judge termed ‘immaterial’ questions.
Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte will soon be sentenced after being found guilty in October last year of killing Matlhomola. The deceased's mother, Agnes Moshoeu, was called to the stand on Wednesday.
Cross-examining her, advocate Cecile Zwiegelaar, for Schutte, asked the mother what the court perceived as personal questions. Among other questions, Zwiegelaar had asked Moshoeu if Matlhomola’s father was also the father of her other six children. She answered that she only had four children with Matlhomola's father.
Zwiegelaar then asked whether the other three children belonged to [three] different fathers. She further asked whether Matlhomola’s father was maintaining his children.
Hendricks had to intervene. “We are busy with sentencing proceedings, this is not about maintenance,” he said.
He asked Zwiegelaar on the relevancy of her line of questioning. “What is the relevancy of your questions, do you have any more questions?" he asked before adjourning the court.