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Zuma accuser 'was pressured'
26/04/2006 16:06 - (SA)
Johannesburg - There was no doubt efforts were made to persuade Jacob Zuma's rape accuser to drop the charge, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Wednesday.
In her closing argument, prosecutor Charin de Beer told the court that KwaZulu-Natal finance MEC Zweli Mkhize admitted arranging compensation in return for the woman dropping the charge.
"There is little doubt Mkhize tried to broker a settlement," she said.
De Beer said this was substantiated by a lawyer, Yusuf Dockrat, who "pushed" the complainant to drop the charge.
She said Dockrat's intervention was arranged by Mkhize, and the complainant said he had encouraged her to drop the charge.
In his testimony, Dockrat denied doing this - most probably because he wanted to be seen as having behaved ethically said De Beer.
Zuma wanted to talk
De Beer agreed with Judge Willem van der Merwe that if the charge was false, Mkhize would not have made the same efforts.
She said Zuma attempted to phone the complainant eight times on November 9. She answered on the ninth time after her minder in witness protection instructed her to do so.
In that conversation, Zuma said he wanted to talk to the woman.
"(This was a) personal attempt by the accused to persuade the complainant to withdraw the charge," said De Beer.
She said the complainant's newspaper denial - that Zuma had not raped her - was also on instructions from her minder.
On testimony by forensic psychologist Dr Louise Olivier, for the defence, De Beer said the woman had not examined the complainant.
She said if the complainant's psychological evaluation had been done as Olivier testified it should have been, the end result would not necessarily have been different.
Complainant did not resist
De Beer said the woman's usual psychologist was made available to Olivier, but she had never contacted the psychologist.
Regarding testimony by trauma specialist Dr Merle Friedman, called by the State, De Beer said it was clear Friedman had morals and was experienced.
She said Olivier was not able to dispute most of Friedman's evidence.
Friedman said the complainant did not resist Zuma when he allegedly raped her, because she "froze".
De Beer said it was clear the woman had not consented to the sex, as Zuma claimed, because she said no immediately before the alleged rape.
Her actions following the incident also showed she had not consented.
"She did nothing to make the accused believe she had consented or was consenting," said De Beer.
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