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Woman watched brutal murder
22/09/2006 14:41 - (SA)
Walter Ka Nkosi
Nelspruit - A man was pulverised to death in full view of his girlfriend and neighbours before being tossed in a river when he could no longer talk, walk or breathe properly.
Given Moyela, of KaNyamazane near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, was beaten by three men with sjamboks, sticks, bricks, stones, fists and feet and strangled with wire.
On Wednesday, one suspect, Vusi Hopeword Hlatshwayo, 35, of Msogwaba appeared in the Nelspruit regional court and pleaded not guilty to murder.
Moyela's girlfriend, Aletta Malabela, witnessed the assault and broke down repeatedly when testifying, especially when shown photos of Moyela's broken body.
She testified that on May 14 last year at around 20:30 Moyela had picked her up in his bakkie. She said his aunt called him on his cellphone and told him there were people waiting for him at her house.
Last time she saw him alive
When they arrived, she said they found Hlatshwayo and three other men who asked him why he took the bakkie.
She said they started beating him until he fell to the ground, then loaded him into the boot of their car.
She was ordered to accompany them and they drove to Hlatshwayo's parents' home at Pienaar.
She said two other men arrived and they all started beating Moyela again. She said they then drove to Hlatshwayo's house and she was ordered to sit in the dining room while they took Moyela to the garage and beat him some more.
She said she "heard and felt" the beatings and also heard Hlatshwayo's children screaming.
She heard someone shout, "Where is the money that was inside the car, dog".
She said she eventually fell asleep in the sitting room at about 01:00, six hours after the assault began.
When she woke up the next morning, she said the assault began again.
By now, neighbours had arrived to watch the frightening spectacle.
"He was beaten with stones, bricks, sjamboks, sticks and fists and they were kicking him," she said.
She said Hlatshwayo's wife intervened when he tied wire around Moyela's neck and started to strangle him.
She was finally told that Moyela was going to be taken and thrown in the nearby river.
"It was the last time I saw him alive," she said. "He was unable to walk, talk, breathe, and was badly swollen with blood all over his body."
The case was postponed to October 27 and Hlatshwayo's bail of R3 000 was extended.
- African Eye
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