Two people were arrested outside Klawer Magistrate’s Court after angry residents were prevented from entering it to witness a suspect appearing for the murder of Hartvicht “Mannetjies” Ockhuis and the attempted murder of Howard Andrews.
Pent-up anger in the West Coast town of Klawer exploded at the weekend after a resident was shot dead by a man, and another wounded.
The suspect, aged 57, had fled the area before he was arrested.
Yesterday, police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana confirmed that the men, aged 17 and 36, were arrested for hindering the execution of police duties and possession of a dangerous weapon, respectively.
Community leader Monwabisi Sikhond said only the victims’ families were allowed to enter the magistrate’s court yesterday.
“The people became angry as we were not allowed to enter the court, but we didn’t know why the police stopped us. I don’t know if they feared that we would disrupt the court, but we had the right to know if he received bail or would remain in jail,” said Hondo.
He said following the court proceedings, the Ockhuis family left without disclosing what had occurred. The community was also upset following Ockhuis’s murder as several properties believed to belong to the suspect’s family were set alight, said Sikhondo.
He said the community informed him that many of these properties were, in fact, only rented by the suspect’s family members and subsequently people had begun looting the abandoned homes.
The suspect’s next door neighbour, Marius Welgemoed, who witnessed the incident, told the Cape Times on Monday that the suspect was a known racist and had been part of several incidents in Brewer Street, where they lived.
He said he saw the suspect shoot Ockhuis twice and then fire on Andrews before fleeing the scene when angry Klawer residents attacked his home, setting his property and that of his family alight.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed that the suspect appeared in the Vanrhynsdorp Magistrate’s Court and proceedings would follow.