Man fed to lions 'was dead already'
I didn't kill him, says Scott-CrossleyFebruary 23, 2005 Edition 1
Baldwin Ndaba
Johannesburg: Mark Scott-Crossley helped to throw Nelson Chisale to lions because he was afraid of community retribution but, he claimed, he did not kill him.
Instead, Scott-Crossley averred before the Phalaborwa Circuit Court yesterday, his co-accused, Richard Mathebula, as well as Robert Mnisi - who has since turned state witness - had murdered Chisale, contrary to Mnisi's earlier evidence that Chisale had been alive when he was thrown into a lions' enclosure on January 31 last year.
Scott-Crossley, 37, stands accused along with Richard Mathebula, 41, and Simon Mathebula, 43, of murder and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. All three have pleaded not guilty.
There was no place to sit in Court B when Scott-Crossley - who has borne the brunt of community protests over the murder - took the witness stand.
He told the court that he had seen Chisale on his farm on January 31. He said Simon Mathebula and Richard Mathebula had tied Chisale to a tree after he had "illegally" entered the Scott-Crossley farm.
"I was informed about Chisale's presence on my farm by Simon Mathebula. I went up to him while he was tied to a tree and demanded to know what he wanted on my farm.
"I then asked my son to collect his airgun from the house. I showed it to Chisale and said: 'Next time you end up on my farm you will definitely get this,' " Scott-Crossley said.
Scott-Crossley denied he had struck Chisale on his head or had pointed the airgun at him, saying he had left Chisale with his co-accused and driven off with Mnisi and his son to a meeting.
"I told Simon and Richard to sort out this mess. I did not want to be involved because I had experienced similar incidents in the past. Most of those incidents backfired on me," he said.
Commenting on Chisale's last moments, Scott-Crossley said that later that night he had found six missed calls on his cellphone: "When I phoned the number, Rob Mnisi told me that there was a f... up at the farm.
"I immediately walked up to the compounds. I then questioned Chisale's whereabouts and Richard told me he was lying dead in the bathroom. I found him lying on the floor. I tested his pulse, he did not respond. I asked Robert: 'What now?' " Scott-Crossley said.
"He turned around carelessly and said: 'No body, no murder.'
"I did not kill Nelson Chisale - I only helped his murderers, Richard Mathebula and Robert Mnisi, to throw his body into a lions' enclosure to avoid the wrath of the local community.
"Robert said to me I should help them because they had in the past helped me. They said that Nelson was an outsider and their community was likely to believe them."
He also denied Mnisi's evidence for the state that Chisale had been alive when he was thrown into the enclosure.
"It's a blatant lie," he said.
Cross-examination was expected to continue today.
