Killers of Coligny teenager to be sentenced next year

SCORES of people were left disappointed at the North West High Court in Mahikeng yesterday when the sentencing of two men convicted of killing a teenage boy in Coligny was postponed to next year.

On Wednesday, Pieter Doorewaard, 27, and Phillip Schutte, 34, were found guilty of killing Matlhomola Mosweu,16.

Judge Ronnie Hendricks also found them guilty of kidnapping, intimidation, theft and pointing of a firearm.

The case was postponed to January 28 to give the defence and the State time to prepare arguments in aggravation and mitigation of sentence.

Defence advocate Hennie du Plessis, acting for Doorewaard, requested the postponement as he said both the defence and the State were not ready to proceed.

Mosweu, 16, of Scotland informal settlement near Coligny, died on April 20, 2017 after he was pushed from a moving van. The pair maintained that they caught Mosweu and another teenager stealing sunflower heads from their employer’s sunflower plantation at Rietvlei farm, about 3km away from Coligny.

They claimed they intended taking Mosweu to the police station, but that he died after jumping off their moving van, a version the court rejected.

Mosweu’s father, Sakkie Dingake, said he was happy his son’s killers were behind bars: “There is nothing I can do. I will wait until next year. I am happy that the two men who killed my son are in custody.” |