Johannesburg - A State witness in the case of an apparent satanic ritual, in which two girls were set alight, was “drugged up” on dagga on the afternoon of the crime, the High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court heard on Thursday.
“It was very strong dagga. Skunk,” Lester Moody told the court.
“What does Skunk mean?” asked Judge Geraldine Borchers.
“It's the name of the dagga,” replied Moody.
Moody was testifying in the trial of four people accused of setting Kirsty Theologo, 18, and her friend alight in an apparent satanic ritual on October 21, 2011.
Moody and Jeremy King entered into a plea bargain with the State in a bid to get a lesser sentence after admitting to the crime. In return he is testifying against Lindon Wagner, Robin Harwood, Harvey Isha, and Courtney Daniels.
All four have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and assault to cause grievous bodily harm.
Theologo was 18 when she was set alight on a hill behind the Linmeyer swimming pool in Julius Street, southern Johannesburg. She died a week later at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. Her friend, who was 14 at the time, survived the attack.
Moody said he and Harwood had been smoking one “zol” after another from shortly after midday on the Friday of the alleged ritual. They would take breaks of about 30 minutes before smoking another.
“We didn't know we were going to commit a murder later.”
He said they had dabbled in other drugs, including CAT and cocaine.
Asked if he remembered what Harwood was going through or feeling after they had smoked on the Friday afternoon, Moody said: “Both of us were roofed, your honour.”
Borchers asked Moody how he would describe the effect that the dagga had on him.
“It depends what type you smoke. Swazi makes you lazy. Skunk makes you hyperactive.”
Moody told the court how he and Harwood smoked dagga every day. Before he was suspended from school, he said he would smoke in the mornings, as early as 7am.
“The use of dagga, does it affect your mood?” Borchers asked again.
“It depends on who you are,” he replied.
He was then asked to describe how he felt when he had smoked dagga.
“Your mind is cloudy. You can't think clearly. It's slow but fast at the same time.”
He admitted that he had become addicted to dagga.
The matter continues. - Sapa