Kimberley – Murder accused Shadrack Boikanyo on Monday pointed fingers at his former girlfriend, who he allegedly killed with an assegai, accusing her of drinking heavily and having a history of abusive relationships with men.
Boikanyo said that he only realised once he was in custody that he was in a deceitful relationship with the deceased, Lerato Olifant.
Boikanyo is facing charges in the Northern Cape High Court following the murder of 27-year-old Olifant, who was killed with an assegai in Galeshewe on March 8 2015.
According to the accused, Olifant had a history of abusive relationships with men which, he said, contributed to her alcohol abuse.
He further blamed her numerous affairs for adding a great deal of stress to his life.
Boikanyo said that he was forced to resign from his job at the Galeshewe Day Hospital, where he was employed as a nurse, because of the workload and the fact that Olifant’s lifestyle was becoming unbearable.
“Lerato told me that she was married but in the process of separating from her husband. Her husband, however, came to my place of work on two occasions and swore at me in front of other people,” he said.
According to Boikanyo, Olifant also had a drinking problem.
“For the two years we were together, she would often be over the legal limit. I would find her drunk when I got home from work, and sometimes when she fetched me from work she would be under the influence. I told her numerous times that I did not condone her driving like that (drunk) and we would end up arguing.”
He said that his work environment also contributed to his stress levels.
“We experienced a shortage of staff and at times the workload was heavy. I am a person who sacrifices myself for the sake of others. All the factors in my personal life led to my decision to stop working so that I could restart my life. I told my manager that I felt like I was going to crash and that I might end up in a mental institution. The reason I resigned was so that I could sort out my problems.”
Boikanyo denied under cross-examination that he had contributed to the problems in his relationship with Olifant.
“Lerato and the life that I was leading were the main cause of our problems. There were no problems that I caused during our relationship. I am not perfect but there were no problems I caused that warranted the intervention of her mother or my parents.”
He said that the root of their problem was the deceased’s deceitful behaviour.
“I once saw Lerato hugging a man named Duncan. They did not see me while they were hugging. It was only after the car, which I was travelling in, had stopped that they saw me. When I confronted her, she denied having a relationship with him. Although I had my suspicions, they were put to ease after her mother told me that Duncan was her cousin. However, Lerato later confessed that she had intercourse with Duncan. She said it happened only once.
“There was another time when a message came through on her cellphone from another man, Rrabatho. In the message, Rrabatho described the time he had intercourse with Lerato. I showed Lerato the message and she said we must confront the man. I told her that she was making a fool of me as she stored her lover’s name under a girl’s name.”
Boikanyo said that even after they had confronted the alleged lover, he still forgave her.
“We confronted the man and Lerato told him that I was her husband. However, I could see from her reaction that it was a crooked story. The man apologised to me and said he did not know how the messages got to Lerato. Due to the problems she had, I did not judge her. We were in the process of getting professional help for our relationship and I had made a promise that I would stay by her side.
“Lerato also knew my soft spots and was an expert at changing her stories. I only realise now that she deceived me,” he said.
Boikanyo said that he had continued to give her the benefit of the doubt and believed that she would change.
“Lerato started abusing alcohol from a very young age. Men used to physically and emotionally abuse her. I was also going through a divorce and ended up leaving everything. Our life stories made us connect and that is how we started our relationship,” he added.
He said that although he and the deceased agreed to obtain professional help, this did not go according to plan after he quit his job.
“We spoke about leaving Kimberley for Kuruman in order to restart our lives. That, however, never happened. We then agreed to go see a psychologist but Lerato would always have an excuse as to why she could not attend. Things did not go according to plan and our relationship did not get better.”
The trial continues on Wednesday.