2 men accused of killing Coligny teen plead not guilty
Mahikeng – The men accused of killing a teenage boy in Coligny pleaded not guilty in the North West High Court in Mahikeng on Tuesday.
The two farm workers – Pieter Doorewaard, 26, and Philip Schutte, 34 – pleaded not guilty on charges of murder, intimidation, kidnapping, theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and pointing of a firearm.
In their plea explanation, the men disputed that they had unlawfully and intentionally killed Matlhomola Moshoeu by throwing him out of a moving vehicle.
They also disputed that they unlawfully had in their possession an unlicensed firearm.
Doorewaard and Schutte allegedly caught Moshoeu stealing sunflowers on April 20, 2017.
They claimed they were driving him to the local police station when he jumped off their bakkie and broke his neck.
An eyewitness alleges that Moshoeu was pushed off the bakkie.
The two men appeared calm during proceedings.
Moshoeu's parents were also in court, accompanied by relatives.
The State called their first witness, Dr Ruweida Moorad, who is a specialist forensic pathologist.
Moorad told the court that she had conducted between 5 000 and 8 000 autopsy reports. She said she had investigated numerous cases of people who had died as a result of falling from vehicles.
She testified that Moshoeu's injuries were consistent with a fall or jump from a vehicle. She, however, said she did not observe any signs that Moshoeu had tried to protect himself when he "jumped".
"There were no injuries documented to the hands, his protective mechanism[s] were not employed," she said.
She also told the court that Moshoeu – whose name means "Sorrow" – had severe external injuries. News24
Update:
Murder-accused Coligny farm workers refused to return to scene, court hears
Mahikeng – Two men arrested in connection with the death of a 16-year-old boy in Coligny, refused to return to the scene after they reported the incident to the police.
This was the evidence presented in the North West High Court in Mahikeng during the trial of the two men on Thursday.
Warrant Officer Jeremiah Modisane testified that the men – farm workers Pieter Doorewaard, 26, and Philip Schutte, 34 – seemed "bothered" when they approached him and asked him to call an ambulance.
It is alleged that Doorewaard and Schutte allegedly caught Matlhomola Moshoeu stealing a sunflower on April 20, 2017. They claimed that they drove him to the local police station, but that he jumped off their bakkie along the way and broke his neck.
However, an eyewitness alleges that he was pushed off.
On Tuesday, the men pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, intimidation, kidnapping, theft, the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and pointing a firearm.
When prosecutor Rapula Molefe cross-examined Modisane, he explained that the men said they had caught Moshoeu red-handed while they were patrolling.
"They did not have the sunflower with them. They also did not explain the boy's injuries to me," he testified.
He said the men refused to return to the scene where Moshoeu lay and claimed that they had to attend to their businesses.
Modisane, who has been a police officer for 31 years, added that he went to the scene and found that Moshoeu had hit his head. He said Moshoeu was still alive at the time.
"He was inhaling in a pool of blood (sic)," Modisane said.
Moshoeu died later in hospital. News24
Update:
Coligny murder trial: 'Accused seemed shocked over Matlhomola Moshoeu's death'
Mahikeng - Warrant Officer Jeremiah Modisane told the North West High Court in Mahikeng on Thursday that, at first, he had believed Matlhomola Moshoeu had jumped from a moving vehicle to his death.
The accused - Pieter Doorewaard, 26 and Philip Schutte, 34 - had appeared shocked over what had happened, he said.
Modisane was testifying in the trial of two farm workers accused of killing the boy in Coligny, North West.
Modisane said, after the men reported the incident to the police, he later called one of them to let them know that the teen had died.
"I called and informed him [Phillip Schutte] that the boy had passed on, and he dropped the phone," Modisane said.
He had earlier testified that the pair refused to go back to where Moshoeu's body was, saying they had to attend to business.
But Doorewaard's lawyer, Hennie du Plessis, put it to Modisane that he had never called Schutte.
He added that the accused had said Modisane had told them that there was no need for them to go back to the scene.
"That is not true," Modisane replied.
Accused had 'arrested' people before
Du Plessis said: "The deceased voluntarily climbed into the vehicle... and on the way to the police station, the deceased jumped off."
"I have no knowledge of that, I was not there," Modisane replied.
Doorwaard and Schutte allegedly caught Moshoeu stealing sunflowers on April 20, 2017.
They claimed they had been driving him to the local police station when he jumped or fell off their bakkie and broke his neck.
However, an eyewitness claims that he was pushed off the bakkie.
Doorewaard and Schutte pleaded not guilty on charges of murder, intimidation, kidnapping, theft, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and pointing of a firearm.
Modisane said this was not the first time that the men had arrested people who had allegedly stolen from them. They would bring them to the police station and open cases against them, he said.
Following Moshoeu's death, some residents claimed that he was killed because he was black. His death sparked protests in the area, which saw a number of houses and business burnt to the ground.
Doorewaard and Schutte are out on bail of R5 000 each.
The trial continues.
