Iuze Mukube

The trial of a man accused of raping, killing and mutilating the body of Lydia Garises (27) in 2011 at Farm Stinkwater is set for continuation today.

The State is expected to continue calling its witnesses in the trial of Herold Uirab who resides in Dordabis.

Uirab faces charges of murder, rape, violating a dead human body as well as defeating the course of justice or attempting to do so.

The matter concerns the period from 11 to 12 December 2021 at Farm Stinkwater in Dordabis, during which Uirab unlawfully and intentionally killed Lydia Garises (23).

The State alleges that Uirab also committed a sexual act with Garises by force and by physically and verbally threatening her.

Additionally, it is alleged that Uirab physically violated Garises’ body by dissecting the genital pubic skin, making an incision to the abdomen with intestine evisceration, or by removing the uterus.

He further allegedly attempted to defeat the course of justice by washing Garises’ blood from his clothes, discarding the clothes and returning to the crime scene to remove his hat.

At the onset of his trial last year in October, he pleaded guilty to the counts of murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice, but the State did not accept the pleas.

He, however, denied guilt on the charges of rape and violating a body.

So far, five or more witnesses have testified in the matter since the trial’s commencement.

The witnesses included one of the accused’s friends, Geoffrey Jansen, who testified that Uirab had confessed to him during the period of 11 and 12 December 2021 at a wedding reception that he harmed a lady but did not kill her.

Another State witness, Joseph Hansen, testified that the accused told him about the murder of Garises.

Hansen testified that during that period, while in custody with the accused in a police cell, Uirab allegedly told him that he had murdered someone and that it was someone the witness also knew.

He recounted the accused’s alleged confession, that while at a wedding reception, the accused and the deceased went off to a side of the riverbed where they spoke and had sexual intercourse.

Afterwards, the two allegedly moved to a further side of the river, which was dark, after hearing voices.

After crossing over, Uirab wanted to have sexual intercourse with Garises again, but she declined.

So, he grabbed her and only let go of her after she fainted and fell, Hansen testified.

He was told by Uirab that he commenced having sex with Garises even after she fainted.

Hansen added that the accused also told him that, “when he was done having sex with her, and when he realised that she was still breathing, he took a stone and beat her on the head with it”.

The witness also testified that the accused had allegedly told his girlfriend about what he did to Garises and that he was not sure she was still alive.

From there, he went back to the wedding, where he admitted to his friend, Jansen, that he had hurt someone.

Hansen said these details were told to him by the accused, as he was not present at the time.

The matter continues.