LEBOGANG SEALE
MOLEMO “Jub Jub” Maarohanye repeatedly shook his head, frowned and smiled as he disagreed with the State branding him a liar.
The musician came under fire from State prosecutor Raymond Mathenjwa during cross-examination in the Protea Magistrate’s Court yester day.
Mathenjwa sought to expose contradictions in Maaro- hanye’s evidence during his bail application hearing in March last year and his testimony on Monday, when he took to the witness stand for the first time.
He accused Maarohanye of giving different versions when he said he had blacked out moments before his Mini Cooper was involved in the fatal accident. The crash resulted in the death of four schoolchildren and left two others with severe injuries.
“If you say you did not hit anyone until you hit the trees means you did not have a blackout,” Mathenjwa said.
The cross-examination seemed to degenerate into a public spat as Maarohanye became exasperated by Mathenjwa’s line of questioning. Mathenjwa had asked why Maarohanye had not initially told the court, through his attorney Ike Motloung, that he had blacked out.
“What I wanted to show you was that the blackout is a concoction (fabrication)… As the questions (against you) piled up, you were moving the (goal) posts…,” said Mathenjwa.
“How I speak to my lawyer is not the way you want me to…,” Maarohanye retorted.
Mathenjwa also accused Maarohanye of lying when he said there had been a delay in conducting of alcohol and drugs tests, which he (Maarohanye) said were done at 11pm. Mathenjwa insisted the tests were done at 9.40pm, as shown by the medical officer’s report and police statements.
“Sir, I am still under oath here… With due respect – and I am not being rude – I would not like to see any statement from Gideon (Maseko, the police officer who took Maarohanye for testing) because he was lying. It’s a flat lie,” Maarohanye answered.
Mathenjwa then raised the contentious issue of which of the two Mini Coopers had been travelling on the right before they collided with each other. “Did he (Tshabalala) follow you on the right or left?… (According to witnesses), you (and Tshabalala) were driving parallel to each other and exchanging positions.”
Maarohanye maintained that his Mini Cooper had been on the left lane and that Tshabalala never overtook him before the accident.
Maarohanye and Tshabalala face charges of murder, attempted murder and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The trial will resume in February.