If it weren’t for an early morning stop-and-search operation by the police on the R511 in path of Brits, North West, the truth of what occurred to a farm worker who was allegedly murdered would have most certainly not at all been discovered.
The police noticed the bakkie that they’d stopped with two occupants in was loaded with black garbage baggage. They then seen legs protruding from beneath the luggage, lined with blood. It was then that they discovered the lifeless physique of Dumisani Phakathi, alongside along with his head lined by plastic.
Phakathi was allegedly murdered simply because he walked to a close-by rooster farm with a plastic container in his hand to collect water.
The three males accused of assaulting and killing him earlier pleaded not accountable to murder inside the Gauteng Extreme Courtroom, Pretoria. Whereas it was confirmed by an autopsy that he had been crushed to demise, the three accused pointed fingers at each other as a result of the culprits.
The deceased received right here to fetch water on the farm outside Brits on September 16, 2023, when he was allegedly attacked by the three accused – Jaco Kemp, Louis Coetzee, and Gert van der Westhuizen – who’ve been busy having a braai.
They’re pointing fingers at each other as being the offender. Kemp, who blamed his co-accused Van der Westhuizen for the deadly assault, suggested the court docket docket that Phakathi did not pose a threat when he received right here to fetch water on the farm. Van der Westhuizen blamed Kemp and Coetzee for the assault, whereas the latter in flip blamed his two co-accused.
Coetzee earlier testified in tears that Van der Westhuizen noticed the deceased on the gate to the farm. Coetzee talked about he was suggested to go and uncover out what the individual wanted. Phakathi outlined that he merely wanted to fetch some water.
Based mostly on Coetzee, Van der Westhuizen was there inside seconds, joined by Kemp. He talked about whereas Kemp repeatedly bashed the deceased alongside along with his head, Van der Westhuizen saved on punching Phakathi.
He testified that the individual was assaulted from the small gate on the farm to the precept gate. By the purpose they reached the precept gate, he was unconscious. He was, nonetheless, later further assaulted in a storeroom on the farm until he lastly died from the blows to his head.
Kemp, all through his testimony, accused Van der Westhuizen of kicking the individual and assaulting him with clenched fists. Whereas distancing himself from the murder, Kemp did admit that after Phakathi died, he sure his head in plastic and sure his ft sooner than loading the physique on the bakkie.
They drove alongside the Brits-Thabazimbi Freeway when the police stopped them inside the early hours of the next morning, when the physique was discovered beneath the rubbish on the once more of the bakkie.
Coetzee, within the meantime, testified that he had nothing to do with the murder and that he merely stood by when the deceased was assaulted.
Requested why he did nothing to assist the helpless man, why he did not identify for assist, Coetzee testified that he was afraid of his co-accused.
Every the State and the defence had, within the meantime, closed their circumstances. The case was on Thursday postponed to July 29 for remaining arguments sooner than judgment is delivered.
