…Scott admits to have sinned against church, heaven and the world South African Police Service (SAPS)’s Colonel Frank Saunders admitted that the only thought he would have was that church leaders assisted Lehlohonolo Scott to flee from arrest at Umlazi, Durban sometimes in 2014.
news
Feb. 14, 2019
SECHABA MATATIELE
3 min read
Church leaders assisted Scott to flee
Church
Colonel Saunders was being cross-examined in the murder trial in which Scott is accused of murdering and chopping into pieces fellow Koalabata residents, Moholobela Seetsa, 13, and Kamohelo Mohata, 22, in January and June 2012 respectively. Scott is charged with two counts of murder together with his mother ‘Malehlohonolo. He is also charged with escaping from lawful prison custody in the same year, 2012. Colonel Saunders said he assumed that church leaders helped Scott to flee from arrest because within a short time of their (police) presence at the church at Umlazi, they received information that Scott had run away.
According to Colonel Saunders’s evidence before court the police were directed to a certain church whose name was unknown to him in Umlazi. They found the church in an afternoon prayer session. He said the church was located within a lot of residential houses and there was a lot of traffic of people walking about. “We decided to approach head of the church and inform him of the reasons of our visit there. The church leader told us to wait a little bit, leaving us in the room while he went into another room where he spoke with Scott. “Within a short time of that leader having left us in the room, we got information that Scott had fled from the room and escaped to the nearest forest. We got this information from another member of the church,” explained Colonel Saunders.
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Asked by Scott’s lawyer, Advocate Thulo Hoeane if he knew the communication between that church leader and Scott and if Scott ran away because he was alerted by the church leader, Colonel Saunders said he did not know because he was not there but that was the only thought that came to his mind. Meanwhile, in his initial testimony, Colonel Saunders who said he was a Captian in the SAPS team based in Kwazulu-Natal Province at the time, said police were informed that Scott was spotted at another church in Amaoti, still in Durban.
He said: “We met with our informer there who pointed at the place where we would find Scott. The church was in prayer session and immediately after the prayer I recognised Scott and arrested him in line with the contents of the warrant of arrest from Lesotho.” He said Scott was holding a bag which they searched and found his clothes plus a South African identity card. He said the numbers in the card were similar to the ones appearing in the warrant of arrest.
Colonel Saunders said he then took Scott to Chesterville where he was staying with an elderly woman he called his aunt. He said after searching the place and found his cellphone, they took him to police station where they detained him until his first time appearance in court. The 16th crown witness, ’Mats’epo Moholisa said Scott had told her he was sorry for he had sinned against the church, heaven and the world. Moholisa told the court that she attended church at St. John, and at midnight on October 13, 2012 she had attended a music concert with other church members at Memorial Hall in Sea-Point when they were told by some of the members that Scott was outside the hall.
She said: “We went outside to see whether it was true. After seeing him sitting outside the hall by the door side, we asked him what he was doing there as we knew he was arrested. Scott replied that he had visited us after hearing on the radio that we were hosting a concert that night. He told us that he miraculously left the prison and walked by the Mohokare river through some forest, walked past Lerotholi Polytechnic and arrived at the hall. Scott told us he was proceeding to Lekokoaneng but asked us to pray for him as he has sinned against the church, heaven and the world after which he left the place,” she submitted. Moholisa said the next time she heard about Scott was when she arrived home and heard over a radio announcement that he was seen at Lekokoaneng church about to make his offerings.
The case is continuing before Justice Teboho Moiloa while the crown is represented by Public Prosecutor Gareth Leppan.
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