Rape-accused Bishop Zondo loses bid to have expert evidence declared inadmissible

JOHANNESBURG - Disgraced pastor, Bishop Stephen Zondo, has lost his bid to have expert evidence in his rape trial, declared inadmissible.

The Pretoria High Court delivered a judgment on Friday, ruling that evidence by clinical psychologist, Professor Gerard Labuschagne, was admissible based on relevance.

Zondo, who is the bishop of the Rivers of Living Water Church, is accused of the rape and sexual assault of at least seven women, some of whom were members and staff of his church.

One of Zondo’s alleged victims was just eight or nine years old at the time of the ordeal in the year 1980.

Many of the other complainants also reported Zondo years after the incidents.

As part of its case, the State brought Labuschagne to testify on why some witnesses take years to report the abuse.

READ: Pretoria High Court deals with video evidence in rape case against prominent pastor Stephen Zondo

The defence challenged the admissibility of this evidence, saying that Labuschagne was biased because he had only interviewed the victim.

They also challenged references to foreign references that the psychologist relied upon in his report.

But Judge Joseph Mosopa has allowed Labuschagne’s evidence.

“Professor Labuschagne denied that he is partisan and said in many ways that he did not mean to believe what the complainants told him to be the truth – the fact that he did not consider the evidence of the accused to me, does not mean that he is a partisan witness.”

On Friday, Judge Mosopa ruled that Labuschagne’s evidence was admissible and relevant to the facts in dispute.