Blow-by-blow account of farm murder and robbery
|Published
Farm murder and robbery case finally under way after three years. l FILE
Cape Town – The four Lesotho nationals who were extradited after a nearly three-year long process for the alleged murder of their employer, a Bonnivevale farmer and attempted murder of his wife, made their first pre-trial appearance in the Western Cape High Court.
Court documents have given a blow-by-blow account of the fatal day.
Ntabanyane Tlali, Thabiso Ramollo, Moeketsi Hlaudi and Keketso Matsabisa, who were seasonal farmworkers, were successfully extradited this year after a warrant was issued in December 2019 for their arrest in Lesotho.
The police said they attended the crime scene on May 13, 2019, where they found the woman with serious injuries and led them to the discovery of the husband.
Jurie Wessels was shot in the head while his wife, Liezel, received medical treatment.
The group allegedly fled with two firearms and an undisclosed amount of money.
According to their indictment, the accused are facing six counts ranging from murder, attempted murder to robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The State will seek to prove that on the fatal day, at Kapteinsdrift farm, the accused performed seasonal work on Wessels’s farm and planned to attack him and his wife.
On the day in question, the group did not go to work as usual and allegedly waited until the evening to attack after drinking at a shebeen.
The State claims the men then armed themselves with knives and confronted Wessels, allegedly demanding money and firearms from him and his wife.
“The deceased and his wife were tortured by being stabbed, beaten and boiling water thrown on them,” court papers say.
The accused unlawfully and intentionally took possession of a rifle and a .38 special revolver.
Next the State contends the group shot and killed Wessels using these firearms with the purpose and intention of carrying out a robbery at the premises.
They allegedly took R115 000 in cash and a cellphone belonging to Wessels.
They then fled to Lesotho.
During pre-trial proceedings, Ramollo, Hlaundi and Matsabisa said they would be applying for legal aid.
Accused one, Tlali, is being represented by Omar Arend, who is also a legal aid appointment.
The matter was postponed until October 7 for more pre-trial procedures.