Controversial farm manager Mark Scott-Crossley’s attempted murder trial continues

The case against controversial farm manager Mark Scott-Crossley is expected to resume in the Naphuno Magistrate’s Court outside Tzaneen in Limpopo.

Scott-Crossley allegedly ran over farm worker Silence Mabunda with his car and broke his cellphone in Hoedpsruit in December 2016.

He is facing charges of malicious damage to property and attempted murder.

On Monday, the first defence witness, a reporter from a local newspaper Elbi Dippenaar, took the witness stand.

Dippenaar told the court that she interviewed the plaintiff, Silence Mabunda, on his hospital bed and received consent to take photos.

The state however argued that the version of the reporter was not correct.

Her version contradicted the evidence given by Mabunda earlier when he said the reporters used cell phones to take photos.

State prosecutor Erick Mabape has argued that the reporter did not interview Mabunda.

Defence lawyer Karl van Tonder will again call a second witness in the trial.

Not new to controversy

Scott-Crossley has since pleaded not guilty to all charges levelled against him. He also failed in his bid to have a higher court drop and strike his case off the roll.

He is not new to controversy.

In 2005, the Phalaborwa Circuit Court found him guilty of throwing his employee Nelson Chisale into a lion enclosure.

However, in 2007, the Supreme Court of Appeal set aside his murder conviction.

It gave him five years imprisonment on the lesser offence of being an accessory.

In the video below from January 2017, news of Scott-Crossley handing himself over to police:

-Additional reporting by Rudzani Tshivhase