Zachariah Johannes Olivier, Rudolph de Wet and William Musora in court for murder.
One of the three men accused of murdering two women at Onvervaght farm outside Polokwane in Limpopo claims that he was tortured by a police officer in the holding cells at Botlokwa police station.
Zachariah Johannes Olivier, 60, who is a farm owner and his co-accused Andrian Rudolph De Wet, 19 and William Musora, appeared in the Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on September 10 for their bail application but the state postponed their bail application.
The case has been moved to Polokwane Regional Court of October 2.
The trio is facing two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of defeating the ends of defeating the administration of justice and illegal possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Musora, a Zimbabwean national, is facing an additional charge of Contravention of the Immigration Act by being in the country illegally.
The deceased, Mariah Makgato, 47 and 34-year-old Zimbabwean, Lacodia Ndlovhu were shot several times and subsequently thrown into a pigsty allegedly by the accused.
Before the court proceedings could get underway, De Wet shocked the court gallery when he interjected senior state prosecutor, Calvin Chauke and made the claims.
De Wet alleged that he was assaulted when he was already held in lawful custody in the police station cells.
Magistrate Arshard Chaya had to adjourn the court proceedings for over 10 minutes so that National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and De Wet’s lawyer, advocate Johannes Venter could argue over the allegations.
Venter insisted that a case of assault be opened against the police officer who allegedly tortured De Wet.
As the court drama escalated, De Wet said the officer was present in the courtroom and almost pointed at him.
The officer who allegedly assaulted De Wet is known to Mopani Times and when asked whether he assaulted the accused, he denied flatly.
“The guy is just scared of being held in the cells and he is just making wild allegations. Why would I torture him while he is already facing charges of serious nature? He is just playing with the court’s time. These are just delaying tactics” said the officer.
Chauke said it was not for the court to prove whether the accusations are true or not.
The NPA on Wednesday said there are no grounds to probe the allegations.
Mashudu Malabi-Dzangi, the provincial spokesperson for the NPA said “The allegations are baseless and there were are not going entertain them. At this juncture there is even no police docket.”
But Venter is not taking these allegation lying down as he insists that a complaint should laid with the Independent Police Directorate.
He said “If the accusations are true, the IPID should probe the officer for misconduct.”
Spokesperson for the Makgato family, Ragofa Makgato said De Wet might have been assaulted in the cells by other inmates.
He said “The Afrikaaner boy is the only one in a cell full of black counterparts. He is linked to the gruesome killings of black women. Other inmates are likely to make things worse for him. I’m informed he is being separated from his co-accused and this would torture him psychologically.”