Accuser 'told to deny charge'

2006-03-06 16:31

Johannesburg - The woman accusing former deputy president Jacob Zuma of rape told the Johannesburg High Court on Monday that she was told to deny the rape charge to two newspaper reporters.

The woman, who may not be named, said she was told to tell the Sunday Times and the Sunday Tribune that "nothing like that had happened".

She had told the court that after the alleged rape on November 2, she went to work the following day and remained dazed and in a state of shock.

It was only when an aunt, who had phoned her about borrowing an outfit, insisted that she tell her what was wrong, that she broke down and sobbed.

Her aunt had instructed a colleague from her office to take her to a doctor, which she did.

The doctor said he could not perform the rape examination and referred her to Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital where she was finally examined by a doctor on call at 20:00 on November 3.

She laid the charge of rape at about 14:00 the following day.

ANC

She was later consulted by two women she knew from exile, one of whom she considered a mother and the other was like an aunt.

The first woman said she was concerned about her safety and the second had asked: "Did I realise what it was going to do to the ANC? That it was going to rip people apart.

"Could I imagine what this country would be like if (President Thabo) Mbeki or Mbeki's people took over?"

She later left and the mother figure remained with her.

"I felt very pressured." She said it was suggested that she travel to Durban for a meeting with Zuma, but she turned this down.

She said the story was first published on Sunday, November 13.

On the Saturday, the previous day, she received a phone call from Sunday Times reporter Dumisani Lubisi.

"He said that he wanted to meet and talk to me about the charge that I laid."

She said she told him it was a sensitive issue and she did not want to talk about it.

Witness protection

At the time she was already on the witness protection programme and she told her minder, a superintendent Khan, about the phone call.

She (the minder) said she was going to call her boss to inform him that the media had phoned.

"She said I must call Dumisani Lubisi back and I must tell him the rape never happened and I never laid a charge."

She phoned him back and said she had not quite understood what he was saying.

He specifically said he wanted to talk to her about the rape charge she had laid against Zuma.

"As instructed, I said to him that nothing like that happened, and I did not lay the charge."

Later that evening, Khan rushed into the room where she was being guarded and said the Sunday Times was continuing to process and print the story anyway.

Legal action

"She (Khan) said that I must call them and tell them I would take legal action if they continued with the story."

She said she sent a text message that had been dictated to her to Lubisi.

After speaking to him on the phone she was told to phone the rival newspaper The Sunday Tribune.

Her minder gave her the number of Jeremy Gordin, a writer for the Independent Newspaper Group.

"She said I must tell him that the Sunday Times were in the process of printing a story in the newspaper and I must say I am the person in the story and that I denied everything."

Gordin asked her if he could print her name. She consulted Khan while they were on the phone and decided yes, he could do so.

The two papers - the Sunday Times and the Independent on Sunday - then proceeded to print the story.

The trial was adjourned at 15:30 and continues on Tuesday.

- SAPA