More woes for one Coligny suspect
Farmer now facing a further charge of reckless and negligent driving
One of the white farmers accused of the murder of a boy in Coligny, North West, is now facing an additional charge of reckless and negligence driving.
Matlhomola Mosweu, 16, died of his injuries in hospital on April 20. The two accused claim he fell off their bakkie as they were transporting him to police for allegedly stealing sunflower seeds on a farm. The black community believes Mosweu was assaulted to death, a case the state wants to prove in court.
The two accused are out on R5 000 bail each.
The latest charge relates to a car accident, apparently involving one of the accused, which occurred last year and resulted in the injury of a farm worker.
Coligny police allegedly bungled the case when they neglected to investigate the matter after it was reported to them in November 2016. They only classified it as an accident report for the victim to claim from the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
Simon Moremi, 58, from Tlhabologo location, claimed the farmer intentionally rammed into his bicycle from behind with his bakkie on November 3 2016. Moremi said he suffered injuries to his right ankle.
When Moremi reported the incident to Coligny police station, the officer only filled in an accident report and gave him a piece of paper but failed to tell him that a criminal case would not be opened.
Sowetan has seen the document which only has the station’s contact details, stamp and name of the officer who took Moremi’s statement.
“He said he would come back to me in five days. I was under the impression that a criminal case was being investigated. I waited for an SMS with a case number but it never came,” said Moremi.
The Sowetan team accompanied Moremi to the station yesterday to open a case.
Officers admitted that their colleague who took Moremi’s statement assumed that the complainant only wanted to claim from the RAF and did not follow up with a criminal case. They then took his statement to attach it to a docket.
Former and current officers at the station told Sowetan that cases opened against farmers and influential people in the community were often not taken seriously.
Mathamela Masibi, 72, a retired warrant officer said although the station had mostly black officers, subtle intimidation towards blacks and laziness existed.
“Before 1994 there was racism, we even addressed younger colleagues as ‘baas’. Things improved after 1994 but there are incidents where black officers feel intimidated and drag their feet investigating cases against whites,” he said. Masibi said in one incident just before he retired, he was forced to release a farmer who had assaulted a worker because his arrest was “unlawful”.
“I had evidence against him,” Masibi said. An officer currently employed at the station, who declined to be named, admitted that cops at Coligny habitually neglected cases against farmers. Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone of North West police said they were not aware cops were intimidated at the station. “Regarding Mr Moremi, he indicated when the incident was reported that he was not injured, hence only the accident report was completed.”
Meanwhile, Mokgwabone said they had opened two inquest and culpable homicide cases related to incidents of two others who were found dead at farms in Coligny and a man who was knocked down by a car. “All cases were handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority.” NPA did not repond to questions sent to them on Wednesday