Kimberley - Shocking details of the gruesome murder of five-year-old Florence Barendt, who was killed in November last year, were revealed in the Northern Cape High Court on Monday when a family friend, Ivan Mothibe, pleaded guilty to raping her and smashing her head with a stone.
Mothibe’s legal representative on Monday read out a statement signed by the accused in which he admitted guilt to three of the four charges against him.
The State, represented by Advocate Joyleen Mabaso, initially submitted five charges - theft, kidnapping, two charges of rape, and a charge of murder - against the 30-year-old accused.
Mabaso, however, withdrew the first charge of theft.
Appearing before Judge Mathebe Phatsoane on Monday, Mothibe pleaded guilty to kidnapping, as well as the first charge of rape and the charge of murder. He pleaded not guilty to the second charge of rape.
In the statement read by Mothibe’s lawyer, Pierre Fourie, the latter said that his client admitted guilt to some of the charges and also confirmed that he knew the child.
While members of the public and relatives sat in shocked silence in the public gallery, Mothibe said in his statement that on the day of the incident on November 29 last year, he was at the house of the deceased with her father.
The two of them were drinking and according to Mothibe, he had also used the drug tik.
He said that he saw the child playing outside the house while they were sitting there drinking.
He added that he later decided to go home and noticed the child outside and took her by the hand and left with her.
On his way home he decided to rape the child.
He took her behind a bush in a veld in Witdam and told her to undress.
She did as she was told and he instructed her to lie on her stomach.
He then penetrated her anally but said that his penis slipped out and penetrated her vagina.
He said he wanted to take the child home but realised that he would be in trouble if she told her father.
He then took a stone and bashed her on the head.
Mothibe also stated that he was aware that what he had done was wrong and added that he was remorseful for his actions.
He admitted that the tik and alcohol could not be held accountable for his actions.
As the details of the young child’s murder emerged, one person in the gallery broke out into uncontrollable sobbing and had to be escorted from the courtroom.
Fourie told the court, after he completed reading the statement, that his client pleaded not guilty to the second charge of rape as he did not rape the child vaginally.
Mothibe’s statement was handed in as exhibit A to be used as evidence in the case.
Advocate Mabaso also handed the court the post-mortem report, the birth certificate and photos as well as aerial photos of the scene which will be used during the trial.
Members of the ANC and supporters of the family expressed their disgust and shock after the court proceedings.
Barendt’s body was found on November 30, 2014 in an open veld in Witdam after her father reported her missing to the police the previous day.
Mothibe was arrested shortly after the body was discovered when eyewitnesses identified him as the last person to be seen with the child.
The case has been postponed until Tuesday.
Diamond Fields Advertiser