Pretoria – Johan Kotzé planned the torture and gang rape of his wife and the murder of her son down to the last detail, the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Cornelia Harmzen put it to one of Ina Bonnette’s alleged rapists, Andries Sithole, that Kotzé would not have gone to the trouble of planning the crime and then getting unwilling rapists to help him.

Sithole, Pieta Mohlane and Sello Mphaka have claimed they pretended to rape Bonnette because Kotzé threatened them with a firearm.

Harmzen put it to Sithole that there was no DNA evidence, and the rapists wore pantyhose over their heads so the victim would not recognise them.

In addition, her attackers deliberately had no information about each other on their cellphones, so the police could not trace them.

“In the cupboard, the torture instruments used for the mutilation lay ready. Ropes were already tied to the bed and burglar bars. All of this is evidence of planning.

“It would never have happened if the three of you didn’t co-operate with Kotzé and did not plan and decide together to rape her.

“For you, it was a win-win situation. You could have sex and get paid for it. You raped her first while she lay there bleeding. You didn’t only stand and watch the other two. You held her down while Mphaka was raping her,” she said.

Threat claims

Harmzen put it to Sithole that he had lied about Kotzé threatening him and the others with a revolver, as Bonnette said she had not seen a revolver.

She had testified only about a rifle that was pointed at her.

Bonnette’s evidence was supported by the fact that the rifle found at the scene had been used to murder her 19-year-old son Conrad, Harmzen said.

Sithole said that if Kotzé had planned anything, he had done so alone.

He said if he had seen a rifle, he and the others would have overpowered Kotzé, but he did want to take a chance while Kotzé had a revolver “because he could not play with his life”.

Before taking the stand, Sithole spoke to Mohlane.

Mohlane later told the court Sithole had told him and Mphaka not to testify, but that he had not taken this seriously.

The trial continues.

– SAPA