The judge presiding over the Eugene Terre'Blanche murder trial was “not impressed” with how the case had been handled, he said on Tuesday as he postponed the matter to October.
“I must say I am not impressed with the manner in which this was handled. It resulted in time being unnecessarily wasted,” Judge John Horn said in the High Court sitting in Ventersdorp.
“I came here to hear a trial, not to hear arguments regarding postponements. This whole situation was most unsatisfactory.”
The trial of Chris Mahlangu and a minor accused of killing the AWB leader was set down for October 10 to 21.
Horn said Mahlangu, whose previous attorney Puna Moroko withdrew just days before trial, could not be blamed for this.
“If a postponement was not granted it would be prejudicial and unjust to accused one (Mahlangu) and he would not be afforded a fair trial.”
Mahlangu and a minor are accused of bludgeoning Terre'Blanche to death at his North West farmhouse in April last year, apparently in a wage dispute. The two worked for him at the time. - Sapa