Witness tells of Coligny boy’s assault as accused deny racial intent
The investigating team is considering adding charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice to that of murder faced by the accused.
Residents of Coligny, North-West Province protest outside the Magistrate’s court against two farmers accused of involvement in the death of a small child. The incident has sparked violence in the town over the last week across racial lines. 28 April 2017. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte, the two men accused of the murder of 16-year-old Matlhomola Jonas Mosweu, from Coligny, in the North West, on April 20 made an eyewitness drink alcohol before forcing him to run in front of their moving vehicle, the magistrate’s court heard yesterday.
Testifying in court, Clement Kgorane, who is part of the investigating team in the case in question, said they were also considering adding more charges to that of murder faced by the accused.
He said the vehicle used by the accused was of special interest as they wanted to search it for blood stains, but indications are that the vehicle might have been washed and consideration is being given to adding a charge of defeating the ends of justice.
The vehicle, according to Kgorane, was nowhere to be found until April 25, when the suspects were arrested.
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The court also heard that the accused took the same witness to a dam on the day of the incident, where they pointed a gun at him, wanting to kill him, but he pleaded with them not to.
Kgorane said if granted bail, there was a possibility that the accused would endanger the witness.
“For their own safety, they must remain in custody and ever since their arrest, Coligny has been quiet,” he said.
Kgorane said after the child jumped off the moving vehicle, as the accused claim, the driver was supposed to stop immediately and render assistance to the injured teenager and call the police or an ambulance.
“The accused drove to the police station and informed an inspector that he must call an ambulance and he must go to the crime scene. Warrant Modisane requested them to accompany him to the crime scene, but they said they had other business to attend to.
“The police went to the crime scene and found a young boy lying in a pool of blood, called an ambulance and took him to a clinic, but he was certified dead.”
Kgorane said he and his colleagues returned to the crime scene with the witness, who pointed out the spot where the deceased was picked up by the accused.
“I’m here to oppose bail because should the accused be released, that would lead to public disorder in Coligny. “It is also in the public interest and for their own safety to remain inside. We will be adding charges of kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
“After the boy jumped off the vehicle, they should have remained there.
“According to the evidence given by the witness, after they threw the boy off the vehicle, they realised they had been seen by the accused.
“They confronted him and asked if he saw anything. But he said no.”
The witness said they then drove around with the deceased while threatening him. The witness said he also had a cellphone which was taken from him.
The court earlier heard, also through affidavits from the accused, how they had to endure smoking by other inmates while in custody.
ALSO READ: Coligny teenage boy thrown out of a moving van, court hears
They denied that the boy’s death was a result of racial violence. One of the accused’s uncles, Pieter Karsten, also took to the stand and in his testimony said that he only found out about Mosweu’s death days after he was told by the accused of the alleged incident in which Mosweu jumped off a moving bakkie.
He testified that the two farmers handed themselves over to police after warrants for their arrests were issued, not because of pressure from protests allegedly sparked by the boy’s death.
Karsten, who employs Doorewaard and Schutte, wanted the court to grant them bail and said a petition signed by more than 150 Coligny residents showed they had support in the community.
He told the court Doorewaard informed him, when Karsten arrived for a business meeting, about an incident where a boy fell off a moving bakkie on April 24. He had been away when Mosweu died and violent protests erupted.
The prosecutor asked him why he did not have a single signature of a black person supporting the release of the two on his petition.
Karsten responded that he had not had time to consult black people, but also believed they wouldn’t sign it.
– Additional reporting by ANA
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