German tourist’s murder: 3 appear in Limpopo court

The hitchhiker and his two friends accused of 74-year-old German tourist Herman Gunter Friedrich Westphal’s murder appeared in the Northam Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo today.

Jan Thabonga Moshabi (36), Abstein Madzvimbo (22) and Thomas Moyo (39) – three Zimbabwean nationals – face charges of murder and contravening the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.

Limpopo NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi says the trio are represented by Legal Aid and are set to apply for bail when they next appear in the same court on March 13.

They were remanded in custody after today’s appearance.

The murder

Westphal was touring South Africa when he was murdered, allegedly by the trio. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba previously stated the tourist entered the country from Botswana and went to Lephalale in the Waterberg District.

He added the tourist offered a hitchhiker – who is yet to be identified – a lift, and they went to have a drink at a liquor outlet where, it is alleged, the hitchhiker called two of his friends and told them the tourist was expecting a substantial amount of money from his family abroad.

Malabi-Dzhangi states the four drove the tourist to Moshabi’s accommodation in Moruleng. Once inside, they allegedly tied him up and started to assault him, demanding his bank account pin. They also searched him and took an undisclosed amount of cash and other valuables, say police.

The suspects removed the vehicle’s number plates and drove with the victim, while assaulting him, to Northam in Limpopo, Ledwaba previously explained.

“When they reached a certain farm, two suspects dragged the victim from the vehicle to dump him in the bushes, while the driver remained in the vehicle,” Ledwaba alleged previously.

The driver was arrested when security officials and a rural safety member noticed the parked vehicle and the man’s blood-stained T-shirt.

The other two suspects were traced to the North West where they were arrested later that evening.