Real life snippets from the small-town press.
Double trouble is all relative
Police in Waterfalls, Zimbabwe are combining the law books to find a law under which they can charge an uncle and his nephew who slept with each other’s wives. The two were charged with rape after admitting to “coming home very drunk and walking into each other’s bedrooms before sneaking into each other’s beds where the wives were fast asleep”. The Attorney General’s Office declined to proceed with the rape allegation and told police to see if a fresh docket could be opened.
… and so is rape
Meanwhile, Ashen Chufa Kuma (18) was jailed by a magistrate in Chimoyi, Zimbabwe when he tried to pose as his older brother. Canaan Chuma had been charged with rape, and Ashen wanted to save the family breadwinner from imprisonment. Instead, he was jailed for six months for defeating the course of justice, and Canaan got seven years for rape.
Intelligent response
Woodstock fashion designer William Richard Brazelle-Preston (41) was found guilty of crimen injuria the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court last month, after insulting a traffic warden. Traffic warden Carmen van Schalkwyk had been writing a ticket for the accused near Greenmarket Square when he became abusive. He allegedly called her “a f-big stupid bitch” told her “your education is so low you probably wouldn’t be able to get a job in the post office. You are a f-ing stupid cow. I will smash your face for you.” Brazelle-Preston admitted ‘insulting Mrs van Schalkwyk’s intelligence and calling her ‘f-ing stupid cow” but denied the other statements. He was fined R400 and sentenced to 100 days jail suspended for four years.
Asleep on the job
Paarden Island construction firm manager Andrew Micklem opened up shop a few weeks ago to find a snoring intruder had passed out in the company’s bar. He locked the door again and called the police, who woke the man and arrested him. He protested his innocence all the way to the police van, saying he couldn’t remember breaking in, and insisted: “I’ve never been in this building in my life.” Police found the key to the company bar in his pocket.
Unbeatable service
Law student Ncikazi Moahloli and her husband, school principal Khofu Moahloli, had to wait more than half an hour for food they had ordered and paid for in the Don Carlos restaurant in Orkney. When she saw white arrivals being served first, Ncikazi complained. A white man showed her the “right of admission reserved” sign and offered her money back — until he heard it came to R38. He brought the food, but refused to clean the table. When she argued, he threatened to lock her up. Another white man — an off-duty policeman — punched her in the face. Then a uniformed policeman arrived. Instead of helping her, he beat her up and force her into a police van. When Khofu tried to intervene, he was punched in the eye and also forced into the police van. The couple’s eight-year-old son was left alone in the restaurant.