Nelson Chisale (41) closed his eyes and prayed before being thrown to lions, the Phalaborwa Circuit Court heard on Monday.
The defence opened its case on Monday with the evidence of one of his alleged killers, Simon Mathebula (43).
Simon said he watched his employer, Mark Scott-Crossley (37), walk up to Chisale and kick him on a wound inflicted earlier by their co-accused, Richard ”Doctor” Mathebula (41).
”He kicked him twice,” Simon testified in his evidence-in-chief.
Pointing a firearm at Chisale, Scott-Crossley loudly asked him why he had left his job on the smallholding when he had been getting enough money.
”Now what do you want on my farm?” Simon heard Scott-Crossley ask the wounded man.
”Nelson responded once. He said, ‘I was here to collect my pots.’ He said that only and kept quiet.”
Simon said Scott-Crossley told Chisale to pray.
”I looked at Nelson at that stage … and I saw him closing his eyes and praying,” he said.
Simon went into the witness box in the absence of Richard, who was to have testified first, but was too ill to leave Tintswalo hospital, in Acornhoek, where he was admitted on Tuesday for treatment for tuberculosis after becoming weak while in police custody in Hoedspruit.
Granting an application that the trial continue in his absence, Judge George Maluleke agreed with counsel for all three accused that it appeared this would result in no real prejudice to Richard as his advocate would still be present.
Acknowledging that the application was well-founded, Maluleke said it would cause the state considerable embarrassment and inconvenience to postpone the case again.
Richard could be brought to the court to attend the trial should his condition improve at any time.
Kekana said he had not intended calling any witnesses in Richard’s defence, but that he was to have testified on his own behalf. There were no objections by counsel for the other accused.
Richard and Simon Mathebula and Scott-Crossley have all pleaded not guilty to murdering Chisale on January 31 last year. They are accused of feeding him to lions at the Mokwalo White Lion Project, in Hoedspruit.
The trial was originally set down for the two weeks from January 24 to February 4, but was sidetracked only three days into proceedings by a bail cancellation hearing after Scott-Crossley intimidated a witness. More time was lost when a doctor was called in to see him and medication left him unable to continue.
It was just days later that Richard fell ill, with nosebleeds, chest pains and a sore throat. A doctor diagnosed possible tuberculosis and advised him to seek treatment in hospital.
It is understood that a hospital in Barberton refused to admit him or treat him without his medical history, and he was taken to Tintswalo hospital, which also would not admit him, but examined him and provided him with medication. He is thought to have been admitted only after collapsing in police custody on Tuesday.
Testifying on Monday, Simon told the court he heard former co-accused Robert Mnisi, who has since turned state witness, tell Scott-Crossley that Chisale had reported him to the Department of Labour and the police.
He later heard Chisale, whose arms and legs were bound, ask Mnisi to buy him cigarettes. He also helped move Chisale to a mattress on the floor of a nearby shower after he told Mnisi he was cold.
He had been too heavy for Mnisi and Richard to carry on their own, Simon told the court. They told him to lie down if he wanted to. Although he was no longer bound, the door was tied shut with the cord earlier used to tie him to a tree.
That night, Simon watched Chisale walk out of the bathroom and stand outside while he was tied up again with the cord by Scott-Crossley, Mnisi and Richard. — Sapa