A STATE witness in the trial of radio personality, Simbarashe “DJ Templeman” Maphosa, accused of kidnapping a Harare teenage girl, stunned the court on Friday after she claimed that her friend who is the subject of the court case, confided in her on several occasions that she wanted to run away from her sexually abusive father.
BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
“She told me on several occasions that she was being raped by her father and everyone in the family knew, but no one was willing to help her. She said the abuse at home was now more serious and could no longer stay,” the witness told trial magistrate Bianca Makwande.
Maphosa stands accused of kidnapping the teenage girl and staying with her in Beitbridge for three days without her parents’ consent between March 29 and 31 this year. The girl’s father further complains that the DJ exposed his daughter to various vices such as drugs and alcohol, but Maphosa has denied the allegations. The court heard that the “kidnapped” girl’s friend’s father, who is complainant in the matter, was once fined after he physically assaulted the witness in the presence of police officers accusing her of refusing to cooperate in the search for the alleged kidnapped girl.
“My friend’s father assaulted me with booted feet and fists several times accusing me of hiding the whereabouts of his child. He further pushed my head against the wall and I reported the matter to the police. He was fined for the assault,” the witness said.
The witness said the victim’s father threatened to kill her after he discovered that she had accompanied his daughter to Beitbridge together with Maphosa.
She corroborated Maphosa’s defence that the two girls had asked him for transport to Beitbridge where they intended to cross into South Africa.
“When we arrived in Beitbridge, DJ Templeman stopped us from skipping the country and told her that he will help her to solve the (alleged sexual abuse) problems, but she cried refusing to come back to Harare saying everyone knows about her ordeal but no-one is willing to help.” Magistrate Makwande rolled over the matter to this week. Ressie Nyamombe appeared for the State.
