The trial had to be postponed in June, when a witness broke down as he recalled how the teenage boy was allegedly pushed to his death
The murder trial against the two men accused of killing a teenage boy in Coligny, North West continues in the North West High Court on Monday.
Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte are accused of pushing Matlhomola Moshoeu out of a moving bakkie on April 20, 2017.
The pair claim they caught Moshoeu stealing a sunflower and were driving him to the police station. They face charges of murder, intimidation, kidnapping, theft, the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and pointing a firearm.
Both Doorewaard and Schutte have pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming that the teenager actually jumped off the car and broke his neck. They were each released on R5,000 bail.
The young boy’s death sparked a wave of protests in the area, with many alleging that he was killed because he was black.
In June, Bonakele Pakisi, a witness, told the court how he saw Moshoeu being pushed off the vehicle. Presiding Judge Ronnie Hendricks had to adjourn the matter as Pakisi broke down as he recalled the incident. Pakisi claimed he had initially heard gunshots coming from the field and that when the accused saw him, they asked if he had seen anything, to which he said he hadn’t.
A paramedic who attended to the boy at the scene, Itumeleng Ledikwa, said he was found bleeding from his mouth and nose. Upon examining him, Ledikwa said they discovered that he had fractured his skull.
Thabo Baloyi
t.baloyi@politicalanalysis.co.za
