Kotzé appears in court, case postponed
2012-01-13 10:06
Modimolle - Johan Kotzé and his 42-year-old co-accused made a brief appearance in the Modimolle Magistrate's Court on Friday, and will remain in custody until their next appearance in February.
The two face 17 charges which include murder, conspiracy to rape, rape, sexual assault, kidnapping and common assault.
Kotzé appeared in connection with an attack on his estranged wife, and the fatal shooting of her teenage son.
They would appear in court again on February 10.
The court ordered that the identity of Kotzé's co-accused not be released as an identity parade still had to take place.
Kotzé, wearing a khaki shirt, held his head up as photographers took pictures of him, but his co-accused hid his face under a blue overall jacket.
Earlier, he was whisked into the court complex in a white car.
"Why are you hiding him? We want to see him," shouted a man as news of his arrival spread.
Tension mounted when police stopped people from entering the court building because the courtroom in which Kotzé's case would be heard was already full.
Protest outside
ANC Women's League members sang liberation songs outside the court before the appearance.
"Senzeni na? Senzeni na? (What have we done?)," they sang. They also waved posters calling for Kotzé to be denied bail.
"Geen borg, geen genade vir die monster (no bail, no mercy for the monster)," read a poster.
They were angered at what Kotzé had allegedly done, said ANCWL Waterberg treasurer Joy Matshoge.
"We are very angry. We call on the court not to grant him bail," she said.
"Violence has no colour or race - we are here to support the woman."
She said the ANCWL was also angry that Kotzé had taken advantage of poor, unemployed men, promising them jobs and later allegedly forcing them to attack his wife.
"He is a devil," she said.
Matshoge said the law should be fair towards the men and take into consideration that they had not intended committing the crime.
A manhunt was launched for Kotzé when he fled in a white Toyota Fortuner after allegedly forcing three men at gunpoint to gang-rape his estranged wife and murdering his stepson at his home on January 4.
Kotzé was arrested in the town on Wednesday.
A search was also conducted for the three men. The 42-year-old co-accused was arrested on Wednesday in Makapanstad near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.
The other men were still at large.
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