Zimbabwean national accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend in a fit of rage defiantly refused to leave a correctional services vehicle used to transport him to his case before the Port Elizabeth High Court on Monday.
Describing a scene of commotion, court officials said that the 30-year-old accused rolled up his sleeves in aggression and refused to leave the vehicle to appear before Judge Irma Schoeman.
Schoeman then sent a court orderly to call his name out three times in the court corridor to no avail. She then instructed the court orderly to go back to the van to ask him to make his appearance.
He then told the court-orderly that he first wanted to have a cigarette. Court adjourned for the second time round to allow the accused time to smoke his cigarette.
When he finally made it to the prison holding cells, he again became resistant with court officials pleading with him to stand in the dock.
It became apparent that he was unhappy about the people sitting in the court public gallery as he could be heard boldly arguing with court staff.
When Schoeman entered the court, the accused refused to stand before her and requested through an interpreter, Shelton Chiyangwa, that the judge have the public in the gallery removed.
“It is an open court and I cannot clear the court. Trials and postponements are conducted in an open court,” said Schoeman.
The accused, who spoke standing on the stairs just below the dock, argued that he was not willing to make his way up because of the journalists who were present. Tofa claimed that the media had published lies about him in the past.
Schoeman ordered that a warrant of arrest be issued, however, he said that he would continue to stay away if conditions remained the same.
The State alleges that in November last year, the accused went to the house of his ex-girlfriend armed with an iron rod and a knife.
According to the State, he kicked down the door and assaulted his ex- girlfriend while she was asleep. He allegedly slapped and pushed her against the wall. He then allegedly turned to her boyfriend, Godfrey Kumire, and allegedly assaulted him with an iron rod.
The indictment reads that another woman in the house, Phelisa Nana, tried to intervene but he allegedly drew out a knife and stabbed her.
According to the State, while he continued to assault Kumire, Nana came back and threw boiling water over him.
In a culmination of events, he allegedly took his ex against her will to a shack in Motherwell, where he raped her twice.
He is facing charges of murder, housebreaking, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, kidnapping and rape.
The case against him was postponed until October 10 for trial.
-African News Agency (ANA)
