Farmer 'still alive' when dragged
2010-05-28 11:04
Johannesburg - The farmer who was murdered on his farm outside Potchefstroom was still alive when he was dragged behind his bakkie.
Johan Strydom's liver burst, the back of his skull was crushed and there were drag marks all over his body.
"He lay with his face to the ground and there was a chain around his left ankle," said Warrant Officer Kevin Pretorius on Thursday during the bail application of two of the three accused, Simphiwe Tueng, 19, and Soul Letsie, 21, in the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court.
Strydom, 40, was killed on his farm in the Buffelshoek area on May 15.
Post-mortem results
Strydom was hit with an iron rod at about 12:00 at his gate before he was dragged by a chain to his storehouse.
Strydom's friends, who were in court on Thursday, were shocked when Pretorius testified about the findings of the post-mortem.
Pretorius also testified that Tueng and Jonathan Sekgole, 21, the other accused, also had to appear in the D Court in the same magistrate's court in connection with an incident in March where another farmer had been shot with a presumably stolen shotgun.
Tueng indicated that the charge against him was illegal possession of a firearm and not attempted murder.
Sekgole was released on bail of R2 000 for the attack on the other farmer four days before Strydom's murder.
Magistrate Charles Eckley said he wanted more information about Tueng and Letsie's alleged involvement in the incident before he made a decision about their bail applications.
Sekgole didn't apply for bail.
Stolen goods
According to Pretorius, he had arrested Sekgole on the Saturday evening after Strydom's murder when he found goods in his possession that linked him to the murder.
Pretorius then went to Tueng's home and found Strydom's wallet and DVD player.
"He (Tueng) then went to his TV, opened the back and showed two sets of keys and several bank cards. After investigation we established that these belonged to the deceased and had been stolen on the day of the murder."
Strydom's cellphone was then found in Letsie's house.
The court was awaiting the results of DNA tests and finger and footprint that had been taken on the scene before deciding on Tueng and Letsie's bail applications.
The case was postponed to June 3.