Middelburg - Just moments before two Mpumalanga men allegedly forced Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa into a coffin and threatened to burn him alive, they also allegedly attacked another man.
Dalton Sithole, who is Mlotshwa’s neighbour, alleged that Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson hurled profanities at him, bumped him with a bakkie, kicked him several times and threatened him with a gun.
Sithole said he had the courage to report the matter to the police only after footage of Mlotshwa’s attack emerged and the incident was published in the local newspaper.
He claimed that Oosthuizen and Jackson assaulted him because they thought he was attempting to invade their land near Middelburg.
Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson are accused of shoving Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa into a coffin while threatening to kill him. Picture: @MbuyiseniNdlozi/Twitter
He explained that he had been walking from his home near the Eskom power plant when Oosthuizen, who he described as a farmer on a nearby plot of land, confronted him.
“He asked me where I was going and I said I was just walking, but he insisted that I was coming to his farm,” said Sithole, who made a 40km journey to court from his home at Blinkpan.
An argument then broke out between the pair, which eventually turned violent, Sithole said.
He said Oosthuizen then went to his bakkie and took out a gun, which he pointed at him. He started running, and just when he thought he was safe, Jackson arrived in another bakkie and bumped him with it.
He said Oosthuizen ordered him to get into the back of the vehicle while Jackson proceeded to Oosthuizen’s house. Once Oosthuizen arrived, the pair began kicking him numerous times. They then spotted Mlotshwa and told Sithole to leave.
The alleged attack took place on August 17, the same day that the two men allegedly shoved Mlotshwa into a coffin, threatened to put a snake inside and douse him with petrol, and accosted him.
Sithole said he had since opened a case against Oosthuizen and Jackson, although he waited two months as he feared that he had no proof that they were his attackers.
Earlier on Wednesday, Oosthuizen and Jackson made their first appearance in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court following their arrest on Monday, after cellphone footage showing them shoving Mlotshwa into a coffin emerged and went viral.
They have been charged with kidnapping and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
#CoffinAssault: Accused abandon bail bid
Mlotshwa, who wore an ANC T-shirt, sat next to his mother, Lenea, and other relatives on the front bench of the packed courtroom, their bloodshot eyes occasionally meeting those of Oosthuizen and Jackson seated just metres away.
Oosthuizen and Jackson will now spend Christmas behind bars after their case was postponed to January for further investigation. They abandoned their bail applications, saying they feared for their lives.
Following the brief court proceedings, Mlotshwa, 27, grinned as he was greeted by throngs of people from various political parties, including the ANC, DA and EFF. He became emotional when he got onto the back of a truck that was used as a makeshift stage and thanked the crowd.
But the day’s proceedings proved to be too much for Lenea, and she broke down in tears while sitting on the stage. An ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital.
The throngs of supporters from various political parties sang and danced in their respective groups, amid a high police contingent.
Earlier, tension simmered when ANC members objected to the EFF’s presence, including national spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, inside the courtroom. Mlotshwa is a local ANC Youth League secretary.
This continued outside the court as members of both parties hurled insults from opposite sides of the street.
ANCYL deputy president in Mpumalanga Desmond Moela said: “This young man is our comrade, the EFF mustn’t use him for their own agenda.” But Ndlozi said the EFF had placed Mlotshwa’s attack in the national spotlight.
Despite this, both parties pledged to fight racism tooth and nail.
The Star