A convicted 20-year-old murderer has told a city court that he had seen on television how to cock a firearm, but did not know what happened when he shot and killed a Diepsloot priest.
Nelson Malope was sentenced earlier to 18 years in jail for the killing of French priest Father Louis Blondel two years ago.
He told the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday: “I saw on television that before you rob someone, you have to cock the firearm. I don’t know what happened. The gun went off and I left.”
Malope took the stand in the murder and robbery trial of his four co-accused. They deny any involvement in the incident in December 2009, during which Father Blondel was murdered in cold blood.
Malope confessed earlier to pulling the trigger and was sentenced to an effective 18 years.
The trial of Freddy Mahlangu, Thembalethu Sindane, Jabu Ndebele and Kgaugelo Manzini was separated from that of Malope.
Taking the stand to testify against them on Tuesday, Malope said the four were with him that night when they broke into the premises.
They knew full well that he was taking a firearm, which was given to him in a shebeen, he testified.
“I took the firearm because it is known that if you want to rob someone and you have a firearm, the other person cannot refuse to give you what you want,” he explained.
His co-accused also knew that the firearm had bullets in it, as they saw him loading it earlier, Malope said.
They went to the parish as they wanted a computer, which they were going to sell later. The idea was to only “scare” the people in the parish with the firearm, he said.
Malope said he and Sindane climbed through a window while the other three waited outside. They went to a bedroom, where they found a sleeping man, who later turned out to be Father Guido Bourgeois.
Sindane removed the blanket from the sleeping man, while Malope cocked the firearm and pointed it at the priest. Asked why he did this, Malope said: “I saw on television that before you rob someone, you have to cock the firearm.”
Father Blondel told them that there were three people in the parish. He helped the robbers to open the door for their mates outside.
Malope said when he asked about the computer, the priest said it was in his room. The other four went with Father Blondel to find the computer, while Malope went to the other bedrooms.
He was about to enter Father Blondel’s room, but saw him standing in the doorway. Malope said it was dark. He was not sure where he pointed the firearm, but he panicked and a shot went off. He immediately left the parish with his co-accused – most of whom were carrying parts of a computer.
The court accepted an affidavit from Father Bourgeois, who is now in his eighties and has since gone back to his family in Canada. He has had a stroke and his health did not allow him to travel back to SA for the trial.
(Proceeding) - Pretoria News