Young Coligny victim has yet to be identified
Coligny - The boy who was allegedly murdered in Coligny, North West, has still not been identified, a source close to the case told News24 on Friday.
The alleged murder of the boy who authorities claimed was 12 years old was apparently the reason for violent protests in the area this week when residents went on a rampage, burning and looting businesses.
At this stage, the age of the victim and identity is unknown. The source said that police are still trying to trace the family of the victim.
On Friday, the two men accused of killing the victim appeared in the Coligny Magistrate's Court facing a charge of murder. The two, aged between 27 and 34, appeared scruffy and looked tired in court.
The court ordered that the media should not take pictures pending an identity parade.
Magistrate M L van Loggerenburg said taking pictures of the accused would tarnish investigations.
He said the accused were positively linked to the crime.
Van Loggerenburg also recused himself from the case saying he feared for the safety and security of the community of Coligny and that of his own family.
Prosecutor Khetheni Mudau asked the court to postpone the matter to May 9 for a formal bail application.
The post mortem report was still pending, Mudau said.
A number of residents protested outside court on Friday morning, calling for the court not to grant the accused bail.
There was a high presence of police officers who kept a close watch.
During the hearing, the small public gallery was packed to capacity with journalists and community leaders.
Residents claimed that a farmer had assaulted the boy after finding him in his maize field on Friday, City Press reported on Tuesday.
A family member of one of the accused told News24 that the boy died after allegedly being caught stealing sunflowers and had broken his neck jumping off a moving bakkie.
Pieter Karsten, 48, told News24 his nephew was one of the men arrested for the murder, which led to the protests breaking out in the North West farming town. Residents claimed the death was racially motivated.
Karsten said he had advised his nephew and another man to hand themselves over to police.
North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo called for calm in the Ditsobotla local municipality and assured residents that law and order would be maintained.
His statement was issued after shops were looted, and three houses, trucks and a tractor, as well as an armoured police vehicle were set alight in Coligny and Lichtenburg since protests started.
In Lichtenburg on Friday, a truck carrying 38 000 chicks was set alight.
Mahumapelo said he had set up a task team to attend to the situation in the municipality.
When News24 visited the small town on Wednesday, residents were seen cleaning up what looked like a war zone.
In the morning, shop owners were seen rebuilding and some repairing the damage that was caused by protesters.
The small town's main street was littered with rocks and glass. Pavements were covered with shards of glass and plastic from looted goods.
Update:
Coligny family identifies body of 12-year-old boy - police
Johannesburg – The body of a 12-year-old boy whose alleged murder sparked mass protests in Coligny in the North West was identified by family members, police said on Sunday.
“We managed to trace the family that confirmed the boy is their child,” police spokesperson Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone said on Sunday.
The alleged murder of the boy, who authorities said was 12 years old, was apparently the reason for violent protests in the area last week when residents went on a rampage, burning and looting businesses. On Friday, the two men accused of killing the victim appeared in the Coligny Magistrate's Court facing a charge of murder. The two, aged between 27 and 34, appeared scruffy and looked tired in court.
Residents claimed that a farmer had assaulted the boy after finding him in his maize field on Friday, City Press reported on Tuesday.
The court ordered that the media should not take pictures pending an identity parade.
