Blood trail led cops to body

POLICE officers were led to the body of slain DA councillor Johannes Baatjies by a trail of blood, after he was murdered on the road between Danielskuil and Postmasburg on August 17 2016, a day before he was to be sworn in at the Kgatelopele Municipality

A family friend of Baatjies, Shuping Jeffrey Nouse, who was shot in the face, was still alive when he was found inside a Ford Ranger bakkie, although he was unable to speak. He died a few days later in hospital.

The accused - Richard Hasane, Tshame Frank Baxane, Zonizelo Richard Magawu, Thompson Mncedisi Mphondomisa and Matthews Legodu - have all pleaded not guilty to two charges of murder, kidnapping, and the illegal possession of a .9mm firearm as well as ammunition.

Sergeant Christopher Kgomonyane, from the Visible Policing unit in Postmasburg, along with three other police officers, attended to the scene after receiving a call that a man was lying next to the side of the road near Groenwater, on the morning of August 18 2016.

Giving testimony in the Northern Cape High Court yesterday, Kgomonyane stated that they were notified that a second person was found inside a vehicle, who appeared to have been shot, as they were preparing to leave.

Kgomonyane said that upon their arrival at the scene, he noticed a sports shoe lying in the road while a body was lying on the lefthand side of the road.

He indicated that a trail of what appeared to be a mixture of blood and oil on the road led him to Baatjies’ body.

“It seems as if vehicles drove over the blood and oil marks on the tar road, which stopped abruptly where the body was found. The person was lying on his stomach with his face pointed towards the ground. He was not moving and I called for an ambulance and forensic personnel to attend to the scene.”

Kgomonyane recalled that there were four gunshot wounds visible on Baatjies’ body.

“The deceased was transported to the state mortuary in Postmasburg.”

Kgomonyane also noticed struggle marks at the scene, near to where Baatjies’ body was found, although he stated that they were not “properly visible”.

Sergeant McDonald Skalk, the charge office commander at Postmasburg police station, stated that he had personally attended to the second scene, after a caller who identified himself as Mr Baatjie, phoned the police station to report a person who was injured and was found inside a motor vehicle near to Postmasburg High School.

“I drove to the school alone, as the other police officers attended to the other scene near Groenwater and we were short-staffed. I found Mr Baatjie standing a short distance from the bakkie - a Ford Ranger, next to the fence of the graveyard.”

Skalk stated that he saw a person lying in the passenger seat of the bakkie.

“His face was leaning on the lefthand side of the door, while his legs were resting on top of the back seat of the Ford Ranger.

“I knocked on the window and tried to talk to him. He moved his legs and tried to sit up, although he was unable to turn his face towards me. I walked to the other side and opened the door. I asked him what happened and he motioned with his hands by making circular gestures, although I could not understand what he was trying to tell me.”

Skalk added that while the injured person’s eyes were open, he was unable to speak.

“He was bleeding on the right side of his head, above his ear, while I saw a similar hole on the left side, between his eye and ear, that was also bleeding. I called the police station to send out ambulance personnel to assist him. The two cellphones in his trouser pockets were handed to me, for safekeeping.”

He stated that among the items that were found lying next to the bakkie were a bullet cartridge, a blue cap and a handkerchief that appeared to have been used to wipe away blood.

Skalk said that members of the public who later arrived on the scene had indicated that a track suit top that was found near the vehicle belonged to Johannes Baatjies (the deceased).

“His wife said that he had left the house wearing that same jacket. She identified the injured person in the vehicle as being Nouse.”

Skalk said he also noticed skid marks not far from where the bakkie was parked.

Video recordings and footage from close-circuit television cameras at a shop, as well as a street view of the Anglo American offices, near Postmasburg were handed in as evidence to the court.

Detective Warrant Officer Theunis Nortje, who is stationed at the Kuruman national photo image section, said that the first set of video footage was taken from four cameras inside and outside the shop on August 17 2016.

On the video it appears as if the persons entering the shop made a cash transaction from a wad of notes, where they purchased a speaker, speaker amplifier and a SIM card.

He explained that the footage of the street outside the Anglo American offices was not clear in some cases, as it was recorded after dark.

“The dates and times of the recordings were checked.”

The legal representative for Legodu, Shereen Easthorpe, objected to the fact that the footage was filmed in “varying shades of grey” and did not clearly depict the colours of passing vehicles, unless they were white.

“Nor does it display the vehicle registration number plates.”