The woman allegedly raped by former deputy president Jacob Zuma did not act the way women usually do after they are raped, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Tuesday.
Clinical psychologist Louise Olivier, who is You magazine’s ”Dr Louise” agony aunt, said that in her experience if a woman could not leave the place where she was raped, she would at least lock the door or barricade herself in.
The complainant, who alleged that Zuma raped her at his Johannesburg home last year, spent the night in his guest bedroom after the alleged incident. She did not lock the door.
It was also not normal for the woman only to have washed herself the next morning.
Olivier said that usually rape victims washed themselves soon after the attack. She related a story of how she saw one of her patients washing and scrubbing herself for hours after being raped.
She concurred with a psychologist brought in by the state, Merle Friedman, that the complainant did not show any signs of depression.
Olivier said that after the complainant’s experiences, one would have expected to see some kind of depression.
She did not agree with Friedman that the complainant had an exaggerated, startled response.
Friedman had testified that when she interviewed the complainant, she had warned her that she would make a loud noise and after doing so, the woman was startled and jumped.
However, Olivier said if one wanted to test the startle response one would not warn the person.
She also said that while the woman was being cross-examined by Zuma’s lawyer, Kemp J Kemp, he had knocked over his microphone twice and the woman did not react.
Olivier did not agree that the woman was dazed after the alleged rape.
The complainant said that after the alleged incident she had made phone calls, had a shower, packed a lunch and caught a taxi to work.
Olivier said one was in a daze, one would be ”semi-functioning”.
Although one would still be able to go through the day, it would be with some blunders such as catching the wrong taxi or phoning the incorrect person. – Sapa