Coligny – Two North West farmers who stand accused of murdering a teenager were granted R5 000 bail each at the Coligny Magistrate's Court on Monday.
"Gentlemen your application [for bail] is successful. Your will be released on R5 000 bail each. If your pay the bail money you must stay at the alternatives addresses you give and you must handover your passports to the investigating officer," said magistrate Makgaola Foso.
Foso said there was no evidence that Pieter Doorewaard, 26, and Phillip Schutte, 34, would not stand trial. He pointed out that the two had no previous convictions and no pending cases.
"The accused were born in Coligny, they are gainfully employed and have assets in Coligny," he said. Goso said the objective of bail was to secure the attendance of the accused during trial.
Doorewaard and Schutte are accused of killing Matlhomola Jonas Mosweu, 16, of Scotland informal settlement in Coligny on April 20. The two alleged they caught him stealing sunflowers at their employer's field near the informal settlement. They say they put him on the back of a van and intended to hand him over to police, but he jumped out of the van 3km away from the town and suffered neck injuries.
However, an eyewitness told the police Matlhomola was thrown out of the moving van. He died later on his way to hospital.
Matlhomola's father, Sakkie Dingake, 45, said he was not happy that the accused were granted bail. "I am not happy, ngwanaka ena [what about my son] I buried him yesterday [on Sunday]. Ga ba re lebelle ba lebella makgoa [The court do not consider us, they only consider the whites]," he said with teary eyes, before he was whisked away.
Dingake was so overcome with emotion that he had to be admitted to a local clinic.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Frank Lesenyego, said they respected the ruling of the court but were left disappointed that the court did not consider the submission of the State.
The crowd that had been protesting in front of the court burst into war songs marching down Voortrekker Street, saying they were going to set alight a sunflower crop field near Tlhabologang.
There were reports of a house being torched by irate residents after they learnt that the accused had been granted bail. A police helicopter monitored the situation from the sky while a large police contingent maintained order in the central business district.
The accused were expected back in court on June 26.