The bail application for four men indicted on charges relating to the alleged robbery and murder of an elderly farmer in the Kuruman area could not proceed on 26 November in the Kuruman District Court due to a power failure.
The defendants had appeared the previous day in the Kimberley High Court to confirm their legal representation.
In the indictment, the State alleges that Kabelo Klaas Tata (27), Oarabile Motswakgosi (25), Tshoganyetso Tata (19), and Pitso Bogodile (21) collaborated in a premeditated offence to kill Hendrik Venter (81).
All four, residents of Magobing Village in the Kuruman district, face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder. Venter was reportedly ambushed and brutally assaulted with an object before being robbed of cash intended as workers’ wages and airtime coupons.
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According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, the bail application is expected to resume next week in the same court.
“They are remanded in custody until their next court appearance. The NPA will be opposing this bail application given the seriousness of the charges against the accused.”
‘Murder was planned and premeditated’
According to the State’s summary of facts, the incident occurred on or about 27 September last year at or near the farm Kameelaar, Kuruman. Venter owned several farms and was actively involved in their management.
On the morning of the alleged crime, Venter had left his farm to pay his employees their monthly wages, which consisted of cash and airtime vouchers. His Toyota Hilux bakkie was later found by a neighbour at the gate of an adjacent farm, with Venter’s body discovered beside the vehicle.
The State alleges Venter was assaulted and killed at the gate, after which the money and airtime vouchers were taken. The post-mortem report lists the cause of death as a head injury. The pathologist concluded that the trauma was caused by “some hard and heavy object with borders or edges” and required “considerable force”.
The State will further allege that the four accused acted with a common purpose to commit both the robbery and the murder, and that the murder itself was planned and premeditated. The second accused was arrested later that Friday, whilst the remaining three accused were arrested the following day, on 28 September.
Advocate Terche Engelbrecht is the prosecutor. Advocate Japie Schreuder is acting for Kabelo Tata, Advocate Hannes Rust for Motswakgosi, Advocate Kenneth Kgatwe for Tshoganyetso Tata and Advocate Kulani Biyela for Bogodile.
The pre-trial hearing for the matter is scheduled to take place in the High Court in Kathu on 23 February.
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