Two Pta men accused of beating man to death with chain denied bail
The accused thereafter put the body in a bag and burnt it beyond recognition.
Two Olievenhoutbosch men, accused of beating a man to death with a chain and then burning the body, have been denied bail in the Pretoria magistrate’s court this week.
The accused, Clinton Plaatjies (39) and Kholofelo Rakhobela (27), will appear in court again on June 28 as investigations continue.
They face charges of murder, kidnapping and possession of an illegal firearm.
This was after Plaatjies and Rakhobela allegedly kidnapped a man and his girlfriend while they were walking in Olievenhoutbosch on August 2022, according to NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
“They were taken to Plaatjies’ place of residence where they allegedly hung the deceased facing down on the roof inside of the house and proceeded to assault him with a chain until he died.”
Mahanjana said the accused thereafter put the body in a bag and burnt it beyond recognition. They later released the girlfriend.
“Days after the incident, the murdered man’s family reported him missing to the police.
“Police found the body in bushes in Olievenhoutbosch on August 27, 2022. A few days later on September 6, 2022, the two accused were arrested at their places of residence.”
Mahanjana said both applied for bail, but state prosecutor Mashudu Nembulunge told the court that releasing the accused on bail will endanger their lives.
This was as the community was threatening to take matters into their own hands by killing them should they be granted bail, according to Mahanjana.
“Moreover, it was not in the best interests of justice to release them on bail since the two do not have any exceptional circumstances that warrant their release on bail.
“In his judgment, the magistrate agreed with the state. The magistrate said that because of the seriousness of the offences, there is a high chance that they might evade their trial and tamper with the witness since they know who it is; therefore, bail was denied.”
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