Witness in Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo’s sex trial testifies in camera

Supporters of Bishop Stephen Bafana Zondo outside the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria where he is on trial on rape charges. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)

Supporters of Bishop Stephen Bafana Zondo outside the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria where he is on trial on rape charges. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Jul 20, 2022

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Pretoria - The second leg of Rivers of Living Waters Church leader Bishop Bafana Stephen Zondo’s sex trial began this week in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.

However, this time the evidence of one of his alleged victims will be heard behind closed doors. The prosecution applied to Judge Papi Mosopa to order that the evidence of the woman be heard in camera for medical reasons.

Prosecutor Jennifer Cronje handed a medical letter to the court, and although she did not elaborate on the reasons for the witness to testify behind closed doors, it is understood that the reasons are stress-related.

Advocate Piet Pistorius, who represents Zondo, did not object.

Supporters of Bishop Stephen Bafana Zondo outside the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria where he is on trial on rape charges. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)

This means that the evidence of the alleged second victim will only be heard by the judge, the prosecution and the defence team.

It is not known at this stage how long her evidence and subsequent cross-examination by the defence will last, or when the court will again open to the public.

At the end of November, Zondo’s trial was postponed to this week, and set down for 15 days.

The matter had to be postponed in November after two weeks, during which the prosecution managed to call just two of its 26 witnesses.

Only one of the alleged victims – a woman who claimed she was raped on three occasions by Zondo 40 years ago – concluded her evidence, which was followed by the evidence of her brother.

There is still a long legal road ahead as five further alleged victims still had to tell their story to the court, along with other witnesses.

Zondo last year pleaded not guilty to 10 charges – eight of which are rape.

While he did not provide an explanation for his plea, it was clear from the defence’s line of questioning of the first two witnesses that it will argue the charges were trumped up in a bid to extort money from the wealthy Zondo.

Both the first complainant to testify and her brother were grilled by Pistorius as to why they had remained silent about their allegations all these years.

The first alleged victim who took the stand, and who was 7 years old when allegedly raped by the then teenage Zondo, claimed she was afraid of him and had therefore carried her “dark secret” for nearly four decades.

Now, she said, she was an adult and a mother, and no longer afraid of him.

But Pistorius maintained she had seen an opportunity to make money.

He said Zondo denied ever touching her as a child. According to him, the woman and her family wanted R1  million from the bishop in return for withdrawing the charges, which she had only instituted against him about two years ago.

But both the woman and her brother insisted that it was Zondo and “the uncles” who, during a family meeting, had offered her a host of gifts in return for her withdrawing the charges.

The woman, who broke down in tears several times while testifying, said all she wanted from Zondo was an apology.

Most of the seven alleged victims – who have been members of his congregation – claimed they fell prey to the bishop at his church office in Evaton.

According to the indictment, he allegedly called them to his office to pray for them.

Instead, it is alleged, he either raped or sexually abused them.

Zondo made it clear that he would vehemently defend these “false” ­allegations, and that he looked forward to clearing his name in court. A large contingency of supporters, who were at court over the two weeks during which the trial was held in November, were back in court on Monday, and yet again displayed large banners reading “Hands off our bishop”.

This, while a rival group who supported the alleged victims, called for Zondo’s conviction. Both groups were, however, absent from court yesterday as they are not allowed to attend the behind-closed-doors proceedings at this stage.

Pretoria News