A 27-year-old prostitute accused of murdering Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa’s brother, Rex, in November last year, reapplied for bail in the Pretoria Regional Court on Tuesday.
Claurina Chaka whose previous bail application failed, was arrested six days after the discovery of Mwanawasa’s body in the Best Western hotel in Arcadia, Pretoria on November 2.
At the time of her arrest she was out on bail for the murder of a Moroccan national who was a member of an Italian delegation that attended the World Conference Against Racism in Durban. Chaka’s legal representative told the court that the
KwaZulu-Natal prosecuting authority intended calling his client as a witness against her co-accused in the Durban murder case. This meant that charges, which had not yet been finalised against seven other prostitutes, would be dropped against Chaka.
He also informed the court that a cellphone theft charge against her and another co-accused, presently before the Pretoria District Court, were to be dropped due to lack of evidence.
The State raised concern that the Durban matter might not be withdrawn against Chaka, but a phone call during a short adjournment confirmed that the intention was to drop charges against her if she testified.
The prosecutor also informed the court that Chaka might be arrested on yet another charge for robbing a Hong Kong tour guide in Pretoria in October.
The policeman investigating the incident, Captain Andre Fabricius, testified that Chaka’s arrest for allegedly robbing the tour guide was being delayed because he was waiting for a final report from the Eugene Marais hospital where the man was treated.
He was also attempting to reach the complainant through the Chinese authorities.
Fabricius told the court that a woman allegedly met the tour guide at his Manhattan hotel room door when he arrived there around 11pm on October 5.
The woman had asked to use the phone in his room, and had later asked the man whether he wanted tea or coffee. Fabricius said, according to the victim’s statement, he had opted for a cup of tea.
”He drank the tea and woke up two days later in hospital.”
The victim was found unconscious in his hotel room by security guards on October 6. The room had been ransacked and personal items worth R25 000 were missing.
Chaka’s fingerprint had been found on a glass in the room on October 8. Fabricius said according to a hospital report already in his possession ”a date rape substance similar to that found in the (Mwanawasa) case was found in the man’s blood”.
The case was postponed to Wednesday for a ruling on the application. – Sapa