Kimberley - Murder accused Shadrack Boikanyo does not remember any of the details leading up to the death of the mother of his child, who was killed with an assegaai.
Boikanyo appeared in the Northern Cape High Court on Tuesday after he was arrested for the murder of 27-year-old Lerato Olifant in Galeshewe on March 8 2015.
According to his legal representative, Ferdie Van Heerden, the accused will testify that the secrecy of the apparent affair Olifant had with an acquaintance led to the incident.
“According to the accused, he walked to the vehicle with the deceased after he fetched her from his friend Lucky’s house. The accused said that he was very upset and was shaking as well as crying. He could not get the key into the ignition and the key fell on the ground. He got out to fetch the key and when he got back into the car, the deceased was not in the car. He said that his reaction might have scared her off,” he said.
“According to the accused, he saw a black dress and he then drove into the direction of the dress. The accused said he did not know whether he stopped and neither was he aware of taking out any weapon from the boot of the car. He said he was not in his rightful mind at the time due to the lies he had been confronted with and the secrets everyone kept from him. He does not remember what happened on the day,” he said.
Van Heerden said his client had only come to his senses again after the incident.
“The accused said as he was driving along Barkly Road he was aware that he could smell blood,” he said.
Further details of the affair was heard during the testimony of Clive Xozwa, who confirmed he and the deceased were seeing each other at the time of her death.
Xozwa said he proposed a relationship when the deceased told him that she had broken up with Boikanyo.
“Lerato came to Tshidiso Fanampe and I and said she needed a bakkie to transport her things from the house of the accused as they had broken up. Tshidiso called a man who had a bakkie and he came. Lerato then cancelled the bakkie as she was not sure whether the accused was at home. We then sat and had some drinks. I then talked to her regarding us starting a relationship.
“We later went to her mother’s house but I did not continue the subject as her mother was also present,” Xozwa said.
He said he and the deceased had kept the relationship between the two of them as they did not want anyone to interfere.
“The relationship was not a secret but we wanted to the keep it between the two of us. Nobody in our group of friends knew that we were seeing each other,” he said.
Xozwa said he was afraid to reveal the relationship to the accused after he was confronted.
“Shadrack came to the house the Saturday, the day before the incident, and asked who was having an affair with Lerato. He was with Lerato. He was angry and said that he did not want Lerato to come to Seochwareng again.
“When he asked who was in a relationship with Lerato, everyone just remained silent because they did not know anything. I wanted to speak up but whenever I attempted to talk, the accused would come closer to me. He is huge and I am much smaller than him,” he said.
The case continues.
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