The man accused of orchestrating the gang rape and torture of his estranged wife as well as the killing of her son, will be sent for psychiatric evaluation.
|||A Modimolle magistrate ruled yesterday that Johan Kotze, the man accused of orchestrating the gang rape and torture of his estranged wife, Ina Bonnette, as well as the killing of her son, must be sent for psychiatric evaluation.
Kotze and his three co-accused, Andries Sithole, Pieta Mohlako and Sello Frans Mphaka, entered a packed courtroom on the condition that no photographs or video footage of them would be taken.
“The media is in possession of photographs and video footage of my client and there is no reason to intimidate him any further,” Kotze’s advocate, Bernard Bandjes said.
Wearing a yellow shirt, jeans and a navy jacket, a visibly thinner Kotze was clean shaven, with his thinning hair brushed back.
Bandjes told the court that he was aware that the crimes Kotze was accused of were not the “normal run-of-the-mill crimes”.
Bandjes said a psychiatric evaluation of Kotze had already been done while he was in Pretoria Central Prison. He said the report was not available due to logistical complications, but indicated that Kotze needed further assessment.
Kotze and his co-accused initially faced 17 charges. It is alleged that Kotze hired Sithole, Mohlako and Mphaka to rape and mutilate Bonnette at gunpoint. He also allegedly shot and killed her 19-year-old son Conrad after making him plead for his life.
According to evidence presented during the bail application of Sithole, Mohlako and Mphaka, the three allegedly assisted Kotze by trying to smother Bonnette with a towel and placing tape around her mouth and nose.
It is alleged that they slapped and punched her, breaking two of her toes. The court also heard that they allegedly squeezed and turned her nipples before cutting both nipples off with a side cutter.
Bonnette’s pubic hair was also allegedly pulled out while her private parts were cut and pinched with pliers. Their bail was denied because they could not prove that exceptional circumstances existed for them to be granted bail in the interest of justice.
Senior public prosecutor Advocate Renier van Rooyen said the charges against the four had been amended. They now face seven charges, with three alternative charges which included rape, murder, kidnapping and sexual assault.
Van Rooyen said the State did not oppose the request by the defence and would help to get Kotze a bed in the Weskoppies psychiatric hospital. He also indicated that a trial date had been set in the Pretoria High Court for November 19 to 30.
Magistrate Dawie Stoffberg found that the court was satisfied with the motivation behind the request and ruled in the defence’s favour.
Conrad’s father, Rex, and grandfather sat in the front row of the public gallery. During recess Rex Bonnette walked up to Kotze, greeted him and asked him how he was.
Kotze replied, “Fine”. Bonnette nodded and walked off.
“It was an emotional decision but I wanted to face this - I wanted to face Kotze. He just greeted me and I greeted him back. I just wanted eye contact with him,” Rex told reporters outside court.
“I’m doing this for my son Conrad. It’s bad for us - the family - but we are coping.”
Sithole, Mohlako and Mphaka sat quietly, occasionally looking to the public gallery and waving to people in court.
Independent on Saturday