Seven convicted of murder
MBOMBELA - Four and a half years after the murder of 25-year-old Deon de Bruyn, justice has been served.
The seven men implicated in the killing, Sifiso Madonsela, Solomon Msimango, Raul Mhlanga, Derrick Makamo, Oscar Chauke, Hendry Mahonga and Fannie Mkhabela, were all found guilty of the murder of De Bruyn and the attempted murder of Estelle Jansen, in the Mpumalanga High Court on Friday September 23.
They were also found guilty of robbery with aggravating circumstances, the unlawful possession of a firearm and the unlawful possession of ammunition.
De Bruyn's family has been present at every single court session and wept tears of relief when Judge Hein Brauckmann handed down the guilty verdict on
Friday afternoon.
His parents, Deon and Susan, said they were happy with the outcome and thought the judge had made the right decision.
The judge found that all seven men had acted with common purpose, and there was no doubt in his mind that they had all gone to the Simonsvlei Farm in the Strydomblok area near Komatipoort to commit robbery.
He said the robbery, transport to and from the farm on the day of the murder, and the attack had all been planned, but what was not planned, however, was that the accused would come across opposition on the farm.
According to court documents, the seven men had arranged transport to the farm with a man named Lawrence Sibiya.
Sibiya, who had testified against the men during the trial, said he had been approached by the accused to give them a lift to the farm on the morning of June 17, 2021, so that they could collect cabbages. Sibiya would then be called later that day to fetch them.
Sibiya claimed not to have known about the robbery.
After the men were dropped at the farm, Mhlanga and Makamo, who had previously worked on the farm, and Mahonga had come into contact with one of the security guards, Innancia Sambo.
Sambo recognised Mhlanga and Makamo. The three tied up Sambo's hands and feet and held him at gunpoint. They robbed him of his cellphone.
Mhlanga remained with Sambo while the other two went off in the direction of the farmhouse.
Before reaching it, Madonsela, Msimango, Makamo and Chauke came across James Vilankulu on the farm and held him at gunpoint.
Three of the accused gained entry to the farmhouse and grabbed the domestic worker, Busi Tambu, from behind as she was washing dishes. However, she managed to escape and was able to hide.
The intruders came across De Bruyn and tied his hands and led him to the living room.
Jansen was in the main bedroom drinking coffee when one of the perpetrators, Mkhabela, entered the room. A struggled ensued and the two ended up in the living room where De Bruyn had been kept.
At least seven shots were fired by the accused and three bullets hit Jansen. One struck De Bruyn in the heart, killing him instantly.
Jansen testified that she had laid on the ground after being shot and could hear De Bruyn take his last breaths.
She also testified that she heard two of the accused say she was dead, and they removed her watch from her wrist as she lay in a puddle of her own blood.
Jansen's son, Elmer, rushed into the house, screaming. Elmer was armed and fired two warning shots and the accused fled through the kitchen.
The judge said he found the testimonies by Estelle, Elmer, Vilankulu, Tambu and Sambo to be credible.
He said he accepted the evidence of Sibiya, as it was not tainted under crossexamination, and he therefore accepted that all seven of the accused were at the farm on the day of the murder and acted with common purpose to commit robbery.
He said though the seven men were not found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, it could be said they had gone to the farm armed, not with the intention of protecting themselves, but with the possible intent to kill any opposition.
The men are due to appear in the Mpumalanga High Court on December 6 and 8 for sentencing. They have been remanded in custody until their next court appearance.
De Bruyn and Jansen's families are expected to read out their victim impact statements at the sentencing.