Murder accused denies throwing Coligny teen out of moving van

Published Sep 5, 2018

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MAHIKENG - Phillip Schutte, accused of killing Matlhomola Mosweu in Coligny, denied that he threw the 16-year-old out of a moving van while testifying in the North West High Court, sitting in Mahikeng, on Wednesday.

"I cannot comment. It did not happened," Schutte told the court, while responding to Prosecutor Moeketsi Moeketsi's question that a State witness testified that he saw him throwing Mosweu out of a moving van.

Schutte told the court that the teenager jumped out of the van, admitting that he did not see him jumping.

He explained that he saw movement on the left mirror of the vehicle and when he realised that Mosweu was no longer on the loading base of the van, he concluded that he had jumped. 

He explained that the incident happened in a split second and that the only logical conclusion he could draw was that the teenager jumped.

Schutte, 34 and Pieter Doorewaard, 27, are accused of killing Mosweu, at a farm near Coligny. 

The State alleges that they assaulted Mosweu and threw him out of a moving van, on April 20, 2017 at Rietvlei farm near Coligny after accusing him of stealing sunflowers from their employer Pieter Karsten's sunflower plantation. Karsten is Doorewaard's uncle.

The pair maintained that he was not pushed but, jumped out of the moving van.

Schutte told the court that Mosweu was still alive after he allegedly jumped out of the van while they were driving to the police station. 

He said that they left two people to look after Mosweu while they were going to look from help at the police station.

Moeketsi asked him why did he not remain at the scene to look after Mosweu while Doorewaard went to the police station.

He replied that he wanted to explain what had happened to the police.

He said it was not logical to transport an injured person to the hospital as that could make the injuries worse.

"I was afraid and did not have medical experience. I did not want to touch him because I could have made it worse."

The trial continues.

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African News Agency (ANA)

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