Freelance journalist Douglas Mthukwane testified this week in the Northern Cape High Court that he was only ever involved in consensual sexual relations with the two women and the 14-year-old girl who laid rape charges against him.
FREELANCE journalist Douglas Mthukwane has confessed to having a fondness for women but testified that he was only ever involved in consensual sexual relations with the two women and the 14-year-old girl who laid rape charges against him.
During proceedings in the Northern Cape High Court this week, Mthukwane said that he was falsely accused and was being subjected to “malicious prosecution”.
“My name has been dragged through the mud for something I never did. Everything I worked for in the past 30 years for the freedom of the country was destroyed,” he told the court.
A bible that he carried onto the stand with him, came crashing to the ground when he demonstrated to the court how one of the complainants had twerked “her big buttocks” and rubbed up against him.
“My bible shakes the demons out of the State advocate. When they are out, then I will close it. The bible is food to my soul, it uplifts my spirits,” he stated during cross-examination.
Mthukwane told the court that his “spirits were free”, although at times he became “overwhelmed by the spirits” – where he muttered, burped under his breath, shook his head from side to side and placed his forefinger to his ear.
He stated that the allegations that he made use of a firearm were fabricated in order to portray him as a “serial rapist”, while he neither owned nor knew how to use a firearm.
According to the charges, the 14-year-old girl was threatened with a firearm and raped at Mthukwane’s flat after he had offered her a lift to school on May 30, 2016.
On August 20, 2017, he allegedly raped another woman at gunpoint after asking her for directions as she was on her way to a tuck shop.
The third complainant had requested Mthukwane’s assistance in drawing up her curriculum vitae in May 2019.
He told her that he had to fetch his laptop from his flat, after which they went to the shop to withdraw money.
Mthukwane bought her two bottles of beer whereupon they returned to the flat where he allegedly threatened and raped her.
After requesting the accused to stop to enable her to make use of the toilet, he allegedly threatened to throw her out of the window and he raped her for a second time.
Mthukwane explained that he had agreed to transport the child to school .
“She was struggling as the school was far from home and she did not have taxi fare. A family member cleaned my flat and did my laundry following the death of my wife in 2016. I told them that I do not receive my salary on a specific date as I am a freelance journalist.”
He said that he collected the girl on May 30, 2016, at around 7am.
“She came out of the shack and her hair was unkempt. She did not look as if she had taken a bath. Maybe she only wiped her face. There was also a smell, like someone who had just had sexual intercourse.”
Mthukwane stated that on the way to the school, the girl advised him that she would only be writing her exams at 9am.
“She didn’t want me to take her back home or to school. I told her that I had other things to do as a I write articles for the Mail and Guardian, Sunday Times UK, News24 and City Press.”
He added that he agreed to take her to his flat in Beaconsfield, where he gave her coffee and switched the television on for her.
“There was a photograph of my wife and we talked about my deceased wife, relationships and many other things.”
He said that while he was taking a bath, the girl opened the door to the bathroom.
“I was naked and I helped her to undress. We had desires for each other, of which we spoke of earlier in the sitting room. She told me that she was not a virgin and knows how to perform oral sex. I could not control myself. It happened on the spur of the moment – when I went closer she came closer, she touched me when I touched her. She gave me the impression that she was giving her consent. When we were finished I gave her a cloth that I used to wash my feet with to wipe herself.”
Mthukwane stated that the girl had informed him that she was in Grade 10 and was about to turn 17 years old.
He added that he bought the girl scones, juice and chips before dropping her off at school.
“I got the shock of my life when I heard about a firearm being mentioned because I do not own a firearm and do not know how to use it.”
He indicated that he met the second complainant on August 20, 2017 while he was driving towards the army base.
“I have a weakness for liking women. I greeted her like a man greets a woman whom he is interested in.
She spoke to me through the car window and told me that I had nice things in the car. She was on her way to the tuck shop to buy fish oil.
“I made a joke and said if she wanted fish oil she should watch when I got back. We both laughed and she asked me if I didn’t have anything to give her for fish oil. I said she should stop talking about fish oil because I was interested in her.”
Mthukwane added that the complainant indicated that she was interested in a casual encounter with him.
“She did not want to take a long time and wanted to finish quickly. She told me to stop along the road. She did not want to drive to my place in Beaconsfield. So, we found a spot that was not in the public eye. She asked me if I had a condom and I told her that I was not prepared and I did not drive around with condoms in the car.
“She requested me ‘to be fast’ and not to ejaculate in her as she had to go to the clinic for a bladder infection a day ago. Unfortunately, it did not happen according to her request and in those three or four minutes I ejaculated in her.”
He added that she did not wish to leave him her contact number.
“I dropped her at the tuck shop and gave her fish oil that I had bought with my groceries. I searched my pockets and found R30 or R40 that I also gave to her.”
Mthukwane met the third complainant in May 2019 when he visited a spiritual healer following his arrest and release on bail.
“Initially, I did not want to go as the church does not allow me to go to traditional healers. The spirit showed that there were a lot of people who hated me, people who did not want me to succeed. I was given herbs to drink, to clean the bad spirits so that bad luck should leave me.”
He said he returned to the traditional doctor to complain that the muti had “killed his manhood”.
“I am no longer able to get erections. The doctor was not there and they sent the complainant, who was an intern at the time.”
He added that the complainant wanted him to be initiated as a traditional healer and wanted him to pay her R10,000 to be his mentor.
“She wanted me to leave the Zionist Christian Church where I was a prophet and interpreter at the church. She told me I should heed my spiritual calling as I would be able to heal and help a lot of people.”
Mthukwane indicated that she agreed to have a “discrete relationship” with him after he suggested that they should have “something that was on and off”.
“We should be able to call each other to have sexual intercourse.”
He added that she had contacted him to assist her in applying for a post at the Department of Correctional Services as she had left the traditional doctor and needed a job.
“I was sitting at home, minding my own business. She approached me and wanted me to give her a good word to the people I am politically connected to.”
Mthukwane stated that he visited the complainant at her home where he found her mother outside cooking wildebeest liver with firewood.
“I had a rough night the previous night and was hungover. I asked her mother if she had a problem if I went to buy beer.
“I came back and gave a 2-litre coke to her mother. I was sitting with the complainant in the shade and we were talking about love. We took pictures of each other with my tablet. It is unfortunate that the tablet died, when I fix it, I will be able to produce those photos.”
He stated that the complainant had stood up and twerked while rubbing herself against his manhood.
“She said she was horny but that nothing could happen at her home as her mother was present. We decided to leave. I informed her mother that I would fix her CV and would bring her back.”
He added that the complainant had criticised him for not keeping his flat tidy.
“It appeared as if she was not impressed with what she saw at my flat and that she was expecting to see a mansion. She complained that the place was dirty, while she was untidy herself. I stay in a simple bachelor’s flat. I like to read and I only tidy up on certain days.”
Mthukwane added that she had shown him her sanitary towel before they had sexual intercourse in the bedroom.
“She said it was the last day of her period so I used a condom.”
The complainant related that upon touching his leg, she realised that there was no condom.
Mthukwane stated that she had used the restroom at the time.
“I do not remember if she used toilet paper or if I had given her a wash cloth to clean herself. She kept on reminding me that there was no electricity at home and that people were waiting for her.”
Mthukwane said that it was impossible for him to push her out of the small window.
“I weigh 60 kilograms and she weighed 82 kilograms. The rape allegations are spiteful. She was also contesting for my spiritual gifts.
“She was lying on the bed, she was 33 years old and we had consensual sex. Her only problem was my papers that were lying on the ground and my furniture.
“Why didn’t she tell the cab driver who I called to take her home to stop at the police station to report the rape? She walked with me after the alleged incident for 30 minutes that night. I asked her mother what the price was to make her my wife as I loved her and she never had a problem.”
The State prosecutor, advocate Adele van Heerden, pointed out that the complainant’s family had denied that they needed any electricity.
“The complainant’s mother stated that they did have electricity although she preferred to cook outside.”
The case continues before acting Northern Cape High Court Judge Sharon Erasmus.
Renier Pieterse is representing the accused.