Mother’s murder agony
ONLY FOUND OUT DAY LATER HER SON HAD BEEN ‘KILLED BY RELATIVE OF HER BOSS’ Local farmers rally around men accused of beating ‘attackers’ to death.
Betrayed and furious – that is how 54-yearold Ruth Qokotha described her feelings yesterday morning as she watched the men accused of murdering her eldest son, Samuel Tjexa, and his friend, Seun Tangasha, walk into the courtroom at the Parys Magistrate’s Court.
Qokotha, a domestic worker who was employed by a relative of one of the accused, Boeta van der Westhuizen, said: “My son was murdered in cold blood and my boss didn’t even tell me. I had to find out from relatives a day later.”
Tjexa, the eldest of Qokotha’s three sons, was also the family’s breadwinner and would often travel from Sasolburg to work on farms and bring money home. She says her son was not violent.
Yesterday, the town was abuzz with both ANC Youth League and EFF members picketing outside the court. They said the pair were murdered in cold blood because they were black.
There were scores of supporters of Van der Westhuizen, his co-accused Johan Cilliers Snr, Johan Cilliers Jnr and Anton Loggerenberg, standing outside the court.
Although they stand accused of beating the two men so severely that they later died of their injuries, their supporters claim these actions were justified.
Riaan Bester, 45, who was picketing outside the court, waving the old South African flag said (in Afrikaans): “We are all farmers here and we stand in solidarity with the accused. We are tired of our fellow farmers being butchered and the police not doing their job. Had the police been doing their job, it would not have come to this.”
Bester was referring to the alleged incident which led to the deaths of Tjexa and Tangasha early last month. The two are said to have entered Biesieblut farm, outside Parys, beating the owner with a pistol and demanding R20 000. The farmer then allegedly ran into his house and pressed a panic button.
The men were cornered by neighbouring farmers about 8km from the farm.
The farmers are said to have confronted and assaulted them before handing them over to the police. The farmers were later arrested after the alleged attackers were pronounced dead in hospital.
Police captain Hendrik Prinsloo was also arrested on Wednes- day this week in connection with the murders and appeared with the accused in court yesterday.
Police said they could not reveal how Prinsloo was connected to the murders.
“I was not there when my son was murdered, so I can’t know what happened, but I know in my heart that justice will be done,” Qokotha said.
The case has been postponed until April 15. –