File photo: SAPS (Twitter) File photo: SAPS (Twitter)
The Springs family accused of force-feeding their employee 2litres of faeces want their civil case heard behind closed doors.
Members of the public and the media were stunned yesterday when, after they arrived at the Equality Court sitting at the Springs Magistrate’s Court, presiding officer Pravina Lazarus asked them to vacate the courtroom.
Lazarus emptied her court, allowing only the applicant, respondents and their legal representatives inside.
The Star understands that the applicant spent most of yesterday testifying, and the court also did an inspection in loco.
Jackson Mzila, an SA Human Rights Commission lawyer representing the applicant, said the three accused had, prior to yesterday’s proceedings, pleaded with the court to prevent the media from covering the case.
Harry Leicester, his wife Maria and son Chris, of Endicott, Springs, are charged with crimen injuria after they allegedly called their employee the k-word while they allegedly beat him and forced him to drink faeces on their farm in December.
This was after the employee failed to switch on the engine of a septic tank. They then allegedly threw him in the sewer hole. The trio are currently out on bail, as the criminal case on the same matter is still pending.
Mzila said although he understood media access was limited in cases before the Equality Court, Lazarus had applied a heavy hand in the Leicesters’ case, which was already in the spotlight.
“The respondents said they feared for their lives after two of their properties were vandalised by the community reacting to this case. They said should their pictures be circulated in the media, they could face further harm. We tried to object to it, but their safety weighed more than our reasons for a public hearing. Also, the presiding officer said no media house had made any application to cover the case, hence our objections did not stick,” said Mzila.
“I don't understand it, as
we've done similar cases like that of Vicki Momberg (recently convicted for crimen injuria). More confusing is that the media will still cover the criminal case against the respondents, and their faces will be all over the news.”
Ekurhuleni EFF members who were at the court expressed disappointment at the media blackout.
“There is a lot of racism in Springs. The complainant could not immediately open a case in this court in December, until we assisted him by involving the media to expose how badly he was being treated here. It’s unfair that today the people who helped him are now being blocked from observing the court proceedings,” said Ekurhuleni EFF councillor Fani Sibeko.
The party threatened to disrupt proceedings, but the idea was abandoned after Lazarus instructed the court manager to call for police support.
A court official advised a journalist to make an application to Lazarus requesting to be allowed to cover the case.
She was expected to rule on the application today.