The law courts are where you often hear everything but the truth. On Monday, an aunt, called to the witness stand by the defence lawyer, to support her nephew who stood accused of stealing a motor bike, told the court instead how she tried to beat him with a broom stick for his failure to repay a R300 loan.
Nazier Ohlson appeared in the Parow Regional Court, before magistrate Constance Nziweni.
He denied any knowledge of the stolen motorcycle, other than that it was parked in the street outside his home.
He told the court he was arrested for stealing the motor bike after his aunt falsely informed the police that he had stolen it, during an argument with her about money.
Asked by the defence if she knew Ohlson and, if so, how, the aunt referred to him as “slang” (snake) and replied: “Yes I know Slang, I am his aunty.”
She was asked if she knew why he was in the dock of the court.
She replied: “Because the police arrested him.”
Asked why, she said “for the motor bike”.
Prosecutor Daniel Cloete may have expected her to try to get him off the hook but, instead, she lamented about the money he owed her.
She said she was in her bakkie, about 4am, searching for Ohlson, when she met one of his friends named Rameez who said he and Slang were going to smoke.
Soon afterwards, she saw Slang coming from a backyard wendy house towards the road.
The motorcycle in question was parked in the road.
She got out of the bakkie and stood on the one side of the motorcycle while Slang stood on the other.
She told the court: “I swore at him and asked where’s my money, and we began to argue. I picked up a broomstick lying in the road, and hit him with it.
“He ducked and the broom hit the tail light of the motorbike instead, smashing it.
“Rameez came and said I may not break his bike, and I said Slang can pay for the damage.
“While I argued with Slang, someone shouted that the bike was stolen, so I shouted to Slang that he must have stolen it.”
Asked the colour of the bike, she first said it was white and blue, then that it was red.
Asked by the prosecutor why she was confused about the colour, she changed her mind again, and insisted it was in fact white and blue.
During the altercation, the police arrived.
She said she continued to hit the bike with the broom stick, even after Slang was no longer there.
Asked why, she said: “When I get angry, I am another person – I have even hit my own lights out.”
She informed the police that the bike was stolen, and said Slang had stolen it. She told the court that Rameez fixed cars and motor bikes, and “also stole things”.
Asked why she told the police that Ohlson had stolen the bike, she said: “Because I was angry with Slang.” We’ll leave the magistrate to make sense of it all when she delivers judgment on November 23.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
