Ntini faces verdict on 23 April (11 April 1999)
CENTURION (South Africa) - Makhaya Ntini will know on April 23, the day before the South African World Cup squad gathers in Cape Town for the first phase of their pre-tournament preparation whether he has been found guilty of rape charges against a
11-Apr-1999
11 April 1999
Ntini faces verdict on 23 April
Trevor Chesterfield
CENTURION (South Africa) - Makhaya Ntini will know on April 23, the
day before the South African World Cup squad gathers in Cape Town for
the first phase of their pre-tournament preparation whether he has
been found guilty of rape charges against a 22-year-old East London
woman.
It could turn out to be a nerve-sapping wait for the Xhosa fast
bowler, the first black to earn a Test cap 13 months ago in the series
against Sri Lanka.
Ntini, who has the firm support of the United Cricket board and the
Border Cricket Board, is to hear the judgement handed down on April 23
in the East London court, where he went on trial.
Border general manager Reunert Bauser, senior team manager Stephen
Jones and youth cricket manager Greg Hayes told the court of the
events of the circumstances surrounding the police investigation at
Buffalo Park. The investigating officer admitted to losing his notes,
stolen when his car was broken into, several weeks ago but he failed
to report the theft.
Shortly before the tension-filled case was brought to a close, with
Ntini not appearing as confident under questioning from the State
Prosecutor, Nicky Turner. She asked the court to convict the player
"as charged", saying the complainant was telling the truth and was "no
Monica Lewinsky" looking for fame and fortune. Turner described the
complainant as a simple, unsophisticated person with no ulterior
motives.
"It is laughable to insinuate she had fabricated the charge because
Ntini had shown no interest in her," Turner said.
"Furthermore," she said, the alleged victim had not contradicted
herself and had stood her ground even though she had been on the stand
for a long and gruelling period.
She added: "Ntini is used to getting what he wants and when she did
not consent to his advances, he decided to take what he wanted."
Advocate Ben Ford, for Ntini, told the court the state's portrayal of
the complainant as a "timorous mouse" was wrong, and suggested that
she had financial gain as a main objective.
Ntini was included the final 15 for the South African World Cup squad
by the national selectors after a resurgence of form in the last few
matches in the limited-overs Standard Bank Cup, where Border lost to
Griqualand West in the final.
Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News