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Fed to Lions?
Aired February 17, 2004 - 13:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a shocking murder investigation that is stirring racial tension in South Africa. Authorities looking into claims that a white farmer fed the body of a black worker to lions. Police found bones, torn clothes in one of the farm's lions enclosure. One the owner and three others are being held in connection with this case.
CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault has the details live from Johannesburg.
Charlayne, this is being called one of the worst cases in post- apartheid history. How did it all go down?
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this guy Mark -- Scott Crossley (ph) is actually a building contractor, and Nelson Truslali (ph) was working with him on a farm, and they had had some issues, and so Nelson Trusali was fired. When he came back to get his clothes, he found that Mark Scott Crossley had burned the clothes, so he went to the police and laid a charge. When the worker went back again to get his pots and pans, it is alleged that Mark Scott Crossley beat him.
In fact, the prisoner today who was released because he's become a state witness, said -- told CNN that Mark Scott Crossley actually choked the man with a piece of wire and then forced the other two men to throw Nelson Trusali over the fence into this lion enclosure.
Now, up to this point, no one has proved that the bones, the skull and the torn clothes actually belong to Nelson Trusali, although the clothes resemble the clothes he was wearing when he went to get his pots and pans. So, the presumption by the police, and just about everyone else, is that this is, in fact, Nelson Trusali, who has not been seen since he left his home to go and fetch his pots and pans -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Charlayne, how has this affected the community. As I said at the beginning one of the worst cases here, post-apartheid. I can just imagine how people are reacting.
HUNTER-GAULT: Well, people are quite angry, and some are trying to make it racial, although three black -- two black men were involved, along with a white man, and that hasn't bubbled to the surface, but one of the things that has bubbled to the surface that was raised at the court hearing today by people demonstrating outside, was that, you know, this just shows that workers have few rights and South Africa, or at least in post-apartheid South Africa; the protection of workers hasn't extended to the extent that it should. Now of course there is another case even tomorrow where a white person has killed a black man in an incident almost as heinous, and he will be sentenced tomorrow. So it hasn't yet bubbled up to the surface of black/white, but of course, all of the demonstrators today and the entire courtroom, which was packed, were packed with black people who were sympathetic to the victim -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Charlayne Hunter-Gault, appreciate your report. We'll continue to follow up and check in with you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 17, 2004 - 13:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a shocking murder investigation that is stirring racial tension in South Africa. Authorities looking into claims that a white farmer fed the body of a black worker to lions. Police found bones, torn clothes in one of the farm's lions enclosure. One the owner and three others are being held in connection with this case.
CNN's Charlayne Hunter-Gault has the details live from Johannesburg.
Charlayne, this is being called one of the worst cases in post- apartheid history. How did it all go down?
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this guy Mark -- Scott Crossley (ph) is actually a building contractor, and Nelson Truslali (ph) was working with him on a farm, and they had had some issues, and so Nelson Trusali was fired. When he came back to get his clothes, he found that Mark Scott Crossley had burned the clothes, so he went to the police and laid a charge. When the worker went back again to get his pots and pans, it is alleged that Mark Scott Crossley beat him.
In fact, the prisoner today who was released because he's become a state witness, said -- told CNN that Mark Scott Crossley actually choked the man with a piece of wire and then forced the other two men to throw Nelson Trusali over the fence into this lion enclosure.
Now, up to this point, no one has proved that the bones, the skull and the torn clothes actually belong to Nelson Trusali, although the clothes resemble the clothes he was wearing when he went to get his pots and pans. So, the presumption by the police, and just about everyone else, is that this is, in fact, Nelson Trusali, who has not been seen since he left his home to go and fetch his pots and pans -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Charlayne, how has this affected the community. As I said at the beginning one of the worst cases here, post-apartheid. I can just imagine how people are reacting.
HUNTER-GAULT: Well, people are quite angry, and some are trying to make it racial, although three black -- two black men were involved, along with a white man, and that hasn't bubbled to the surface, but one of the things that has bubbled to the surface that was raised at the court hearing today by people demonstrating outside, was that, you know, this just shows that workers have few rights and South Africa, or at least in post-apartheid South Africa; the protection of workers hasn't extended to the extent that it should. Now of course there is another case even tomorrow where a white person has killed a black man in an incident almost as heinous, and he will be sentenced tomorrow. So it hasn't yet bubbled up to the surface of black/white, but of course, all of the demonstrators today and the entire courtroom, which was packed, were packed with black people who were sympathetic to the victim -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Charlayne Hunter-Gault, appreciate your report. We'll continue to follow up and check in with you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
