‘I asked mob to spare children’
THE MURDER trial of seven people accused of assaulting and then setting a man alight continued in the Northern Cape High Court yesterday, with an eyewitnesses stating that she had to negotiate with an angry mob to prevent them from torching her sister’s shack while there were children inside.
The seven suspects, Bokang Sehapi, Khunoan Mafoe, Tebogo Ngoanahali, Retshidtswe Ngoanahali, Mamotsebetsi Rhakojane, John Thene and Taeli Rakhiba, are accused of beating Skhukula Mosebetsi and setting his body alight after dousing it with petrol on December 31, 2016 in Madiba Square.
Veronica van Wyk returned to the witness stand yesterday, where she stated that she had been visiting her sister, Shirley, who resides at the scene of the crime, when a crowd of angry people, including the accused, arrived at the shack.
At the time, her sister and other residents, including two children, were seeing in the New Year. Their festivities, however, were cut short when another witness, Ezekiel Ramakoae, returned from buying cigarettes, covered in blood.
“We went inside and Shirley wiped off the blood,” Van Wyk said. “While we were waiting for the ambulance, the deceased (Mosebetsi) came and asked what was happening.”
Van Wyk said that they then heard someone trying to open the door of the shack. The sisters stepped out to find out what was happening, leaving Ramakoae, Mosebetsi and the two children inside.
“Outside, we saw a group of men, along with Rhakojane, chopping the shanty. We asked them not to do that because there were children inside. Rhakojane was at the door with a bottle, sprinkling paraffin.”
When Mosebetsi exited the shack, Van Wyk said that the group surrounded him and all the men began to assault him with kierries until he lay motionless on the ground.
“During the assault, Rhakojane was saying ‘kill him, kill him’.
“While most of the crowd left after the assault, she (Rhakojane) and five men moved away and had a meeting before returning to the deceased and doused him with petrol.
“One of them set him alight but I could not see who because I was some distance from them.
“After he was set alight, my brother-in-law poured water over him.
“Police arrived after everything was over.”
Previous testimony by a medical expert, who conducted the postmortem on Mosebetsi, said that the deceased had suffered multiple blunt force and cut wounds.
The cause of death was said to be strangulation.
According to the expert, the deceased had died before his body was set alight.
The trial continues.