My son would never kill children, says murder accused’s mother

One of the two men accused of being the gunmen who killed three children as they slept is a father of three and would “never, ever hurt someone else’s children”, his mother said yesterday.

Angelina Browers said her son Peter Nokewes knew the pain of losing a child as three of his offspring died at birth. “I know my son. I know what he is capable of, and what he wouldn’t ever do. And he would never have done this. Never,” she maintained.

Nokewes and co-accused Rowan Stuurman were appearing in a Cape Town court on multiple murder and attempted murder charges relating to the killing in Clarke Estate, Elsies River, on September 17. The case was postponed to November 1 for a bail application.

They were arrested within hours of the murders, which the two mothers of the murdered children survived.

Assailants kicked open the door of the structure behind Northmead Court late that night where Bianca Alexander and Mandy Samuels were lying in a makeshift bedroom with Samuels’ daughter, Toslin, 10, between them. The gunmen opened fire, with locals claiming they heard about 50 shots.

Alexander’s son, Adrian, 12, was shot in the neck and Samuels’ son, Malcolm Junior, 12, was shot in the face. They were sleeping on a couch opposite the door. Vineto Africa, 19, was killed when he was shot in the face while lying on a bed in the same room as the boys. He is believed to have been the target of the attack. Toslin Samuels died instantly.

Family members said the women escaped when the shooters were reloading after running out of ammunition. Both women are in protective custody.

After their first court appearance both men claimed to be innocent as they were led back to the holding cells.

Browers, too, said her son was not involved as he had gone to bed just before 9pm that night.

“He had taken out his contact lenses and had gone to lie down. He can’t see without those things and the last thing he does every night is remove them,” she said

The next morning Nokewes was arrested. His mother confirmed he had been out on parole at the time of the shooting and that he was a member of the G-Unit gang.

– News24 Wire