Two former employees at Clover who worked at the dairy producer's facility in Olifantsfontein on the East Rand have been convicted of the brutal murder of two security officers.
On 17 February 2022, a violent mob of striking Clover employees unleashed an attack on security guards outside the facility captured on footage that went viral on social media.
Security officer Terence Tegg died on the scene while his colleague JJ Cassanga died four months later as a result of complications he sustained from his injuries.
Tegg's fiance and the Cassanga family approached Afriforum's Private Prosecution Unit who worked closely with the police and prosecutor to gather evidence and complete a docket to present to the court.
Spokesperson for the Unit Barry Bateman says the distressing video footage shows how the mob of striking unionists ambushed and overwhelmed Tegg, punched and kicked him to the floor before using rocks and other items to smash his head. The attackers then robbed Tegg of his wallet, shotgun and ammunition. Cassanga was chased and overwhelmed, and his head smashed and beaten with his shotgun.
During the trial, in the Johannesburg High Court, the Judge rejected the evidence of Mohale Shokane and Vusumzi Duumba, describing their versions of events as a "thumbsuck and afterthought".
Bateman says the court found the accused were part of the group that acted in common purpose when it attacked the security officers, and that they intended to murder Tegg and Cassanga.
The unit commissioned the video expert, consulted extensively during the analysis of the evidence, and guided the expert when preparing the evidence for court. This evidence included surveillance footage as well as video recorded on cell phones. Using clothing and other identifying markers, the expert tracked each individual's movement on the day and how they were involved in the murders.
Bateman says Shokane and Duumba will be sentenced on Wednesday.
