Even though witnesses positively identified him as one of the perpetrators who targeted hikers at the Groenkloof nature reserve, Dickson Nyathi still intends to plead not guilty.
Nyathi 27, a Zimbabwean national, was appearing in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on eight charges since his arrest at the nature reserve on June 18.
He was said to have been apprehended while attempting to rob a cyclist.
He faces six counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one count of attempted rape and another count of sexual assault.
Taschia Slabbert 26,who recalled the harrowing ordeal she and her mother had gone through on April 30 on the facebook social media website took the stand for cross-examination.
Legal representative Fredrik Oberhager, said despite descriptions by Slabbert of remembering Nyathi’s ‘evil eyes’ he still intended to deny ever having been at the reserve or robbing them on the day in question.
He also questioned why accounts detailing the alleged sexual assault had been left out of her initial statement.
She responded: “It was my mistake for not reading the statement thoroughly but as soon as I noticed the omission I sent the first prosecutor an email to notify him.”
The case was postponed to October 20th and further dates were to be arranged in November for other witnesses to appear.
