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 insisted before the Phalaborwa circuit court on Tuesday that his co-accused Richard Mathebula, as well as Robert Mnisi – who has since turned state witness – had murdered Chisale.

This contradicted Mnisi’s earlier evidence that Chisale had been alive when he was thrown into a lion 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 have pleaded not guilty.

“I wanted them to solve the problem on their own”
Earlier, the State concluded the cross-examination of Simon Mathebula, who implicated Scott-Crossley in the assault of Chisale. Simon Mathebula, however, said he played a minimal role, only helping Richard Mathebula to tie Chisale to a tree until the arrival of their “boss” (Scott-Crossley).

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 was armed with a Bible in one hand and a bottle of mineral water in the other.

He told the court that he had seen Chisale on his farm on January 31. He said Simon Mathebula and Richard Mathebula, who is ill and has not been present during this week’s proceedings, had tied Chisale to a tree after he had “illegally” gained entry to the farm.

“I went up to him and demanded to know what he wanted on my farm.”

‘He turned around carelessly and said, ‘No body – no murder’
Scott-Crossley denied that he had struck Chisale on his head or pointed an airgun at him, saying he had left Chisale with his co-accused and drove off with Mnisi and his son.

“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 backfired on me.”

“It was on that basis that I refused to be involved and I sincerely wanted them to solve the matter on their own,” Scott-Crossley testified.

Commenting on Chisale’s last moments, Scott-Crossley said: “I was at a parents’ meeting that night. Afterwards I went to my bakkie with my son. I saw that I had six missed calls on my cellphone. Rob Mnisi reported to me that there was a f***-up at the farm.”

“When I walked up to the compounds I queried Chisale’s whereabouts, and Richard said he was lying dead in the bathroom. I tested his pulse. I then asked Robert, ‘What now?’ “

Asked to comment on Mnisi’s response, Scott-Crossley said: “He turned around carelessly and said, ‘No body – no murder’.”

Scott-Crossley said Mnisi came up with the plan to dump Chisale’s body. He said he first suggested that Chisale be dumped off a cliff near Lydenburg, and then proposed he be thrown into the White Lions Project near Hoedspruit.

He agreed to the second proposal because Mnisi and Richard Mathebula had threatened to implicate him if the murder became public knowledge.

“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.”

“I agreed to the second proposal. I did not want to go to the cliff, fearing that we might get caught in a roadblock with a body on the back of the bakkie,” Scott-Crossley said.

He further told the court that Mnisi had instructed them to throw Chisale in an enclosure housing more than one lion.

“We went to the first camp and Robert told us that there was only one lion. We drove to the second camp and established that there were enough lions in the enclosure.”

“I then cut off the cables which were used to tie Chisale, and all three of us got into the back of the bakkie and threw his body over the fence.”

Afterwards he dropped the others at their different destinations and headed home.

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 on Wednesday.

This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on February 23, 2005

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click…/p>