Two North West farmers accused of killing a teenage boy in Coligny were on Monday granted bail at the local magistrate’s court.
Magistrate Makgaola Foso granted Pieter Doorewaard, 26, and Phillip Schutte, 34, R5,000 bail each.
The families of the accused shook hands after the accused were granted bail.
The court ordered that the men hand over their passports and stay at their alternative addresses.
The magistrate said there was no evidence the two would not stand trial and there was no doubt that the two would abide by conditions imposed by the court.
“The bail amount of R20,000 the two intend to pay is far more than reasonable than is required in this case. This is an indication they intend to stand trial. They intended to plead not guilty,” he said.
The magistrate further said there was no link between the accused and a key eyewitness, stating that the court could not be held to ransom.
Doorewaard and Schutte are accused of killing Matlhomola Jonas Mosweu, 16, of Scotland informal settlement on April 20.
They alleged they caught him stealing sunflower at a field near Scotland informal settlement. They put him in the back of a van, intending to hand him over to the police, but according to them, he jumped out of the van whilst it was in motion. The incident, which took place about three kilometres outside the town saw Mosweu suffer fatal neck injuries.
The two went to the police to report the incident but allegedly refused to take the police to the scene of the accident.
However, an eyewitness told the police Matlhomola, also known as Faki, was pushed or thrown out of the moving van.
His death sparked a mass protest that left a trail of destruction in Coligny, as three houses and three trucks were torched, while several shops were looted and damaged.
Faki was buried in Coligny on Sunday.
Residents of Tlhabologang, including schoolchildren, protested outside the court ahead of the bail hearing.
The case was postponed to June 26 for further investigation.
– African News Agency (ANA)
