Cape Town - The trial of the owner of military-style camp accused of killing a 15-year-old boy has been postponed by the Vereeniging Regional Court, the NPA said on Thursday.
It would continue on December 1, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Mncube said.
The defence was currently presenting its case. The matter was adjourned on Wednesday.
Camp owner Alex de Koker and his co-accused Michael Erasmus are charged with murder, child abuse, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, relating to the death of Raymond Buys, 15, at the Echo Wild Game Rangers camp in 2011.
On July 30, the court heard that De Koker only made a character profile on Buys, and not on the other children who went to his school, because he gave a lot of trouble.
He said that despite Buys complaining of a sore body and swollen hands, he was told to continue with his work. He told the boy his body was sore because “it was too thin” and not strong enough.
De Koker said he should have forced the teenager to eat.
He said Buys purposely injured himself to avoid doing work at the camp.
Prosecutor Kobus Jacobs questioned De Koker about transcripts of recordings he made of conversations with Buys.
“You have marks on your body because of your own stupidity,” De Koker told Buys, according to the transcripts read out by Jacobs.
However, he said he never witnessed Buys hitting himself.
Jacobs said De Koker assaulted the boy when he did not do what he was told.
“If things didn't go right, the way you wanted, you used violence,” Jacobs said.
“That's your opinion,” De Koker responded.
However, in a recording De Koker told Buys there were only two ways of doing things at the camp - one where everyone worked well together and the other where he would discipline them physically.
Jacobs said the post mortem revealed that five of Buys's ribs were broken two to three weeks before he died.
Buys died in hospital in 2011.
Sapa