JUSTICE was put on hold at the Binga Magistrates’ Court after an unexpected visitor took the witness stand – a giant monitor lizard.

Guards lost their guard, magistrates abandoned their gavels and lawyers fled their posts after the reptile was discovered at the start of the trial of four Zambian men accused of attempting to smuggle generators into their country from Zimbabwe.

Binga prosecutor Bruce Maphosa said: “No-one told the next person to run, but everyone in court made a bee-line for the door. The reptile appeared very calm in the witness box, with its head slightly raised.”

In a part of the world where strange incidents are easily explained away as witchcraft, Maphosa said there were many who believed the reptile had something to do with the smuggling suspects.

Maphosa told the regional Umthunywa newspaper: “This lizard was the type commonly found in water, so there are people raising genuine questions how it ended up in the witness box.

“The nearest river is 10km away, and it is used as a crossing point by people going to Zambia.”

The reptile’s notoriety did not end there. After brave locals chased it out of the court and tried to kill it, the massive lizard gave them a slip as it left the court building and raced to safety after reaching the grass outside.

The prosecutor added: “The Zambians have denied anything to do with the reptile, but the court was immediately closed on that day and their case will have to be rescheduled.”