Two guilty of freezer murder
2005-08-31 23:18
Nelspruit - Two men have been found guilty of killing an Mpumalanga farmer and dumping him into a deep freezer where his frozen body was found the following day.
The farmer's former employee, Bethuel Bigboy Nyalunga, 21, of Clau-Clau near White River, and Bheki Oupa Magagula, 20, of Salubindza near Hazyview, will be sentenced on Thursday.
They were found guilty of murder, housebreaking with intent to rob and aggravated robbery, as well as the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, in the Nelspruit circuit of Pretoria High Court on Wednesday.
They broke into the home of Tobias Johannes de Clerq, 78, of In Die Middel farm in Schoemanskloof on December 31 2003.
He was hacked with a panga, stabbed, tied up, gagged and then dumped in the deep freezer while still alive.
His frozen body was discovered on New Year's Day when his domestic worker, Rose Aniya Mhlakwana, arrived to find a broken window in the kitchen and the door slightly ajar.
There were blood stains on the kitchen floor. She ran to neighbours for help.
Police have yet to find a third suspect, known only as Mmusho.