By LUCY PHIRI
RENOWNED film maker has narrated in the Lusaka Magistrate Court how his efforts of begging the rape victim not to pursue the matter with the police in the bid to try and protect the film industry was in vain.
Owas Ray Mwape, who is also an entrepreneur and marketing consultant testified that after interacting with both the victim and the accused, he realised that saving the face of the industry was more than the rape incident.
Mwape was testifying in a matter in which a popular actor in the movie Mushala, Leo Simukoko was facing one count of indecent assault on a woman of Rockfield Chalala, Lusaka.
It is alleged that on March 27, 2022, Simukoko did indecently assault Ms Otridah Kapona.
When the matter came up for continuation of trial, Mwape told the court that he called the victim countless times without answer and when she finally picked up, she sounded as though she was crying and shocked.
He narrated that after asking why she was crying, she reluctantly told him that she was sexually assaulted by the accused.
“I’m here because of the matter that happened on March 27, 2022, the day artists commemorate World Theatre Day. On that day, I had passed through Lusaka Play House around 14:00 hours to around 18:00 hours. I had also taken time to meet Ms Otridah Kapona to discuss a matter of an email that I had written to her from our company with an attachment of an email from the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Art where we were seeking financial sponsorship for a project we had been working on called Graft. Around 17:00 to 18:00, I found Ms Kapona was having a small meeting with a group of young artists, it looked like there was some sort of misunderstanding. I spoke to them and advised that, that was not the right place to discuss that. I then asked Ms Kapona what time we would have the meeting in connection with an email I had sent to her on March 24, 2022?,” he said.
“I then informed her we should meet virtually because I was rushing home to attend to other matters. Afterwards, I started calling Ms Kapona around 21:00 hours, her phone went unanswered. Ms Kapona is a business partner I have been working with through short films. I then called Hansen Muzumara to find out if he was with Ms Kapona since I left them together at Play House. Hansen told me that she had left and could be sleeping. I later on tried calling her 095 line which was ringing with no answer. I decided to text her. She called back later in the night around 22:00, at the particular time, she sounded like she was crying. I asked what her problem was since she was not answering calls. She told me that she had just been sexually assaulted. So, I asked her by who? She never immediately answered because at that particular time she sounded like she was shocked. After that, she told me it was Leo Simukoko.” he narrated.
He said that her story was that she had given Simukoko a lift because he had no transport from Lusaka Play House.
“She said when they reached the destination in Obama, Leo came out of the car, went into the house and returned after five minutes and asked her to see the house where they were shooting a production called Mungoma.
She said she went inside the house where she wanted to use the bathroom. She explained that when she came back, she heard dogs barking outside and later on she tried to find out what was happening.
Simukoko went to her and tried to kiss her and later pushed her on a mattress that was in the living room and started to try to undress her,” he explained.
Mr Mwape told the court that after interacting with both the victim and the accused, he did all he could to try and convince the victim not to pursue the matter.
In cross examination, asked why he decided to beg the complainant to forget about the offence despite forming an opinion that it was rape, the witness responded that he was saving the face of the industry.
