Ten to testify in coffin assault case
Trial moved to Delmas High Court due to seriousness
A total of 10 witnesses have been lined up to testify against two men accused of attempted murder in the beating and forcing of Victor Mlotshwa into a coffin.
The so called #coffinassault case has also been transferred to the High Court Delmas, Mpumalanga due to the seriousness of the matter.
According to the indictment which Sowetan has seen, the state intends calling 10 witnesses to prove its case.
And in the case of a conviction, the state is calling for an appropriate sentence against the two, according to CJ Erasmus, the director of public prosecutions in the Gauteng division.
The duo, Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson who were both denied bail, face seven charges.
The charges are: attempted murder, two counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, kidnapping, intimidation, unlawful possession of a firearm and defeating the ends of justice.
The case was scheduled to start yesterday and run until Thursday. The indictment, which was served on the two, detailed how the duo forced Mlotshwa into a coffin and threatened to douse him with petrol and set him alight.
The indicment reads: “In that upon or about 17 August 2016 and at or near R35 Middleburg - Bethel Road in the district of Blinkpan the accused did unlawfully and intentionally assault Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa by hitting him with clenched fists ... and fastening his hands with a cable tie against the roller bar with the intention of causing him grievous bodily harm.
“... by threatening to shoot him and or beating him continuously with a knobkerrie to force him to climb into the coffin and continuously hitting him with their fists thus forcing him to lie down in the coffin, threatening to put a snake inside the coffin and forcefully attempting to close the coffin and also threatening to pour petrol onto him whilst inside the coffin and set him alight,” the indictment read in part.
The incident was captured on a cellphone. The video went viral, causing widespread outrage.
The video was admitted as evidence by the court during the bail application of the two.
The duo is also accused of concealing evidence by allegedly burning the coffin either in October or November.
In relation to the assault on another victim, Delton Sithole, the state alleges that the duo “hit and kicked him with booted feet” also on August 17.
Mlotshwa said he was happy that the case would be heard in the high court.