With blood running down his face, a former senior education department official, accused of raping his neighbour’s six-year-old daughter, told the village leadership he would pay the child’s mother R10,000 as a sign of remorse.
This was the evidence of a local sub-head in the Mthatha high court before acting judge Mvuzo Notyesi.
Louis Pepping, 56, known as Papa, is alleged to have raped the child, now aged nine and in grade 4, on September 1 2019.
When I arrived at his house Papa was being beaten by a group of women. He was sitting on his bed, covered in blood
The witness told the court: “When I arrived at his house Papa was being beaten by a group of women. He was sitting on his bed, covered in blood.
“The house was filled with community members, almost all women.
“Hearing what was he accused of, I asked him if it was true that he raped the young girl.
“He confessed and offered to pay R10,000 to the mother of the girl as a token of apology and a sign of remorse.
“He said he did not know why he had raped the girl.
“Young men were so angry they wanted him killed, but as a community leader I reasoned with them, saying that I could not allow people to take the law into their own hands.
“The offer to pay for the crime did not work, and as leader of the community I decided that the police should be called.”
The witness said when he arrived, Pepping was being beaten, but the assault did not continue in his presence.
It stopped when I ordered them to stop. A number of people including the child’s grandmother heard Papa make the R10,000 offer
“It stopped when I ordered them to stop. A number of people including the child’s grandmother heard Papa make the R10,000 offer.”
Defence attorney Sbongile Kekana, of Legal Aid SA, said Pepping disputed he had ever confessed or made the R10,000 offer.
“He knows nothing about the R10,000 and never even said he raped the victim,” Kekana said.
The judge asked the witness if intervening in commotion and crime was part of his brief. He said it was.
“But issues like rape we refer to the police or ask the complainant to open a case with police, which is what we did in this matter.”
Earlier, a forensic nurse took the stand.
She said she had examined the child when she was brought in. The girl’s private parts had been injured.
“She was traumatised and in pain; her pants were covered in blood. She had injuries.
“The injuries, tears and trauma showed there had been forced penetration.”
Another person to give evidence was the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital registrar Dr Josepha Tshukwuma, who was working at a local hospital in September 2019 and treated the injured Pepping.
“He had soft-tissue injuries to the head, thigh and legs. It was said that he was beaten by community members who accused him of raping a six-year-old girl from his village.
“He was admitted to the hospital on September 1 2019 and discharged on September 4. He was asked to come back for a review on September 10.”
After Pepping’s arrest, he was released on bail of R5,000 in December 2019.
Pepping is accused of raping the child after luring her into his two-roomed flat at with a promise to buy her chips and fry her some eggs.
Earlier the judge gave correctional services official, Meli McNare Mduduma a dressing down after Pepping was not in court on time and as a result court proceedings were delayed for almost two hours.
Notyesi said: “We are not playing here. This matter has been on the roll for a long time and we cannot tolerate being frustrated by officials who do not want to do their work.
“This court will not tolerate this. You cannot plead your own internal deficiencies here. Please convey this to your bosses.
“This court was supposed to have started at 9am but has been delayed because you did not bring the accused.
“The accused must be in court by 9am, no excuses.”
The trial continues on Tuesday.
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