'Aikona! They're not racists'

2008-01-17 23:31

Judy Lelliott and Denise Williams

Swartruggens - While there were chants of "Kill the boer, kill the farmer" when murder accused Johan Nel appeared briefly in court on Thursday in connection with the deaths of four people, one resident said: "We kill the killer."

Nel allegedly shot and killed a 30-year-old man, a 10-year-old boy, a three-month-old baby as well the baby's mother in the Skielik squatter camp on Monday.

All the victims were black.

Nel, 18, arrived in court wearing a blue T-shirt and grey tracksuit pants and, before turning to face the magistrate, glanced blankly at the faces of the victims' families.

Protesters - who started arriving at court about 06:00 - toyi-toyied and sang Umshini wam while waving placards saying: "Kill the devil" and "Hang hom" (hang him).

Others chanted: "Kill the boer, kill the farmer".

Jeffrey Chirwa said: "Comrades, there is no killing of the farmer and no killing of the boer. We kill the killer."

Resident Sello Ngewenya said it was not the first time Nel had committed a crime.

"They should send him to jail because the people of Skielik live in fear. The boers here beat people at night," he said.

A different perspective

However, Beeld reports, a totally different perspective was given by 71-year-old Vuyisile Mpofu, a retired policeman who had worked with Nel's father, Hennie, for six years in Swartruggens detective branch.

He couldn't believe the 18-year-old had been accused of killing the Skielik people.

"That kid is a good guy. My heart is sad." He said Johan was a "sweet boy" who treated blacks with respect.

Regarding claims that the Nels were racist, Mpofu said: "Aikona. They aren't like that.

"I am speaking the truth before God. I know what I am talking about.

"My heart is breaking," said Mpofu.

He said he'd visited the Nels at their farm on Thurday.

Cried with father

He and Hennie had embraced and cried together, said Mpofu.

"I feel sorry for that family. I didn't think anything like this would ever happen to them.

"I don't see them as white and me as black, because God doesn't have that problem."

He's been helping out on the farm since Johan's arrest.

"I have to help them.

"They are good people and I'm not ashamed to say so," added Mpofu.

After Nel left court - where he was remanded to Thursday next week, the crowd chased the police vehicle down the street, calling for authorities to "bring him out".

Families of the victims said they felt court proceedings had been racially biased.

The aunt of 10-year-old Tshepo Motshelanoka said she was "so unhappy" as the proceedings had taken place only in Afrikaans.

"They were meant to speak in two languages so the people at court could understand," said Nkele Motshelanoka.

'Horrific'

African National Congress MP and Swartruggens resident Patrick Chauke said it was "horrific" that no white residents and white South Africans had come here to show their solidarity.

Earlier, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) provincial secretary-general Solly Pheto reiterated that the attack was racially motivated.

"Tell us why this young boy decided to kill only black people. Nobody has ever answered that question. It is a racial issue," he said.

The chairperson of Parliament's budget committee, Louisa Mabe, said she was worried about the incident and how the community had been affected.

"If it was not racially motivated, how is it possible to go straight to an area where black people are living and allegedly, while shooting, say 'kaffir, kaffir, kaffir'," said Mabe.

Killings 'regrettable'

The Democratic Alliance in the North West said it regretted the killings, especially in a small community where people knew one another.

Ben Marais, DA councillor and farmer in the area, said: "We feel very, very sorry about this. A lot of the protesters here are farm workers, but we don't want people to play the race card."

He said there had been murders of white residents in the area and the "racism card" had never been played.

Marais said: "We want the community, white and black, to accept the decisions of the court." Relatives gather

Grieving relatives gathered outside their homes to comfort one another, after leaving court.

Moses Clifton, 68, told how his daughter-in-law and grandchild were shot dead 20m from his home.

"The child and the mother ran out of the house and the boy walked down the road and shot them.

"I hid behind the house with my back against the wall and I heard him reloading his gun... then I saw the mother and her dead child in the road."

Johanna Fafaya, 49, a neighbour, said she had been working in the veld when she heard gunshots.

"When I got here I saw two people lying dead." Fafaya said the shooter ran through the streets before turning into the veld towards town, leaving his bakkie behind.

"He even shot an ostrich in the veld," she said.

While some Swartruggens residents reacted with anger and fear, others were indifferent to any racial tensions purported by politicians to be prevalent in the community.

Shop owner Tony Sousa said he hoped there would be no violent retaliation by the Skielik community.

"It's not a good thing that happened. We are a bit scared," said Sousa.

Prosecutor Colin Uys said Nel's defence possibly might call for psychiatric observation at his court appearance next week.

Nel's attorney, Willem van Heerden, was not available for comment.

- SAPA