Magistrate Jongilizwe Dumehleli will on Tuesday visit and inspect the location where two men are accused of forcing Victor Mlotshwa into a coffin and threatening to pour petrol on him.
Theo Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen face charges of kidnapping, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, attempted murder and possession of an illegal firearm.
They were granted bail of R1 000 each on July 14 in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court, after reapplying for bail.
On Monday, advocate Wayne Gibbs, for Oosthuizen, said the very reason that Oosthuizen had thought of using the coffin after apprehending Mlotshwa was because De Beer had told him about an occasion when he had used it to scare people who were stealing mielies on the farm.
“He thought it would be opportune to scare Mlotshwa to not steal and not carry out threats,” Gibbs said.
The incident took place near Komati power station in Mpumalanga on August 17, 2016.
Mlotshwa had noticed two Land Cruisers following him when the vehicles stopped, and two men assaulted Mlotshwa and kicked him without any explanation, investigating officer Constable Dimakatso said.
A video of the incident posted on YouTube showed one man forcing Mlotshwa into a coffin and threatening to pour petrol on him, while Mlotshwa pleaded with them to stop.
During an appearance in 2016, the pair told the court they had merely wanted to “teach Mlotshwa a lesson”. They claimed their actions were “negligible” and that they did not mean any harm.
In affidavits previously read out in court by advocate Johan Van Wyk, the men said they had received death threats since they were arrested, necessitating the need for bail.
The trial is set down for July 31 to August 10.
[Source: News24]
