A resident of Middelburg, who wished to remain anonymous, went to put a bowl of brightly-coloured flowers in the courtroom where Judge Sheila Mphahlele was hearing the case.

The bunch of flowers was later removed by the clerk of the court.

“I do not want my name linked to this; I am doing this on behalf of Middelburg,” the man said. “We are a town that cares. This coffin case must not polarise us; we are not a town of racists. We care about people and we are a fantastic community.”

Giving his reason for the flowers to Judge Mphahlele, he said: “perhaps something good might just emerge from this case. We want to show the world that we mean well, and that we must learn to get along with each other.”

Update: Oosthuyzen completes testimony

Update: More police ordered to keep order during #Coffincase trial

Day 3 #Coffincase: Cross examination of Sithole completed

Update 11 – Day 3 #CoffinCase trial – as it happens