Just before the prosecutor leapt up, she glanced fiercely at Thobela, as if he had betrayed her. ?Your Honor, I must protest. The witness is not on trial here . . .?
?Mr. Singh, are you going somewhere with this argument??
?Absolutely, Your Honor. I ask for just a moment of the court?s patience.?
?Proceed.?
?Is that what this newspaper article is referring to, Mr. Mpayipheli??
?Yes.?
?Excuse me, I can?t hear you.?
?Yes.? Louder.
?Mr. Mpayipheli, I put it to you that your version of the events at the filling station is just as evasive and euphemistic as your description of your background.?
?That is . . .?
?You are a highly trained military man, schooled in the military arts, urban terrorism and guerrilla warfare . . .?
?I object, Your Honor?that is not a question.?
?Overruled. Let the man finish, madam.?
She sat down, shaking her head, with a deep frown behind the gold-rimmed spectacles. ?As it pleases the court,? she said, but her tone said otherwise.
?And a ?bodyguard? for the drug syndicate in the Cape for two years. A
That is not what the newspapers say . . .?
The state prosecutor stood up, but the judge pre-empted her: ?Mr. Singh, you are testing the patience of the court. If you wish to lead evidence, please await your turn.?
?My sincere apologies, Your Honor, but it is an affront to the principles of justice for a witness under oath to fabricate a story??
?Mr. Singh, spare me. What is your question??
?As it pleases the court, Your Honor. Mr. Mpayipheli, what was the specific purpose of your military training??
?That was twenty years ago.?
?Answer the question, please.?
?I was trained in counter-espionage activities.?
?Did this include the use of firearms and explosives??
?Yes.?
?Hand-to-hand combat??
?Yes.?
?The handling of high-pressure situations??
?Yes.?
?Elimination and escape.?
?Yes.?
?And at the filling station you say, and I quote: ?I ducked behind the petrol pump,? when you heard the shots??
?The war was over ten years ago. I was not there to fight, I was there to fill up . . .?
?The war was not over for you ten years ago, Mr. Mpayipheli. You took the war to the Cape Flats with your training in death and injury. Let us discuss your role as bodyguard . . .?
The prosecutor?s voice was high and plaintive. ?Your Honor, I object in the strongest??
At that moment Thobela saw the faces of the accused; they were laughing at him.
?Objection sustained. Mr. Singh, that is enough. You have made your point. Do you have any specific questions about the events at the filling station??
Singh?s shoulders sagged, as if wounded. ?As it pleases the court, Your Honor, I have.?
?Then get on with it.?
?Mr. Mpayipheli, did you forget that it was
?I did not.?
?You did not forget??
?Your Honor, the defense . . .?
?Mr. Singh!?
