Staff Reporter
The two men charged with the murder of a Free State farm manager in October last year have been acquitted by the Free State High Court sitting in Bethlehem at the end of their trial on Friday.
The state initially withdrew murder charges against Sekwetje Mahlamba, 32 and Sekola Matlaletsa, 44, on Thursday after admitting it had no case against them in the killing of Brendin Horner, 21, who managed DeRots Farm in Paul Roux.
This followed a dismal delivery of evidence by most of the state witnesses who contracted each other and literally destroyed the case against the pair.
In a veiled admission of a failed case, the state conceded before Judge President Cagney Musi that it did not have evidence against Matlaletsa and Mahlamba in the killing of Horner but wanted them convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances as well as theft of livestock.
Musi however, would not agree with the state and chose to acquit the two on all charges. The pair was out on bail after initially spending time in remand prison.
“Both accused are found not guilty and discharged on all counts,” said Musi as he concluded his ruling on the case.
The two men now want to sue the state for unlawful arrest and malicious prosecution.
The state case started showing cracks during bail application when the Senekal Magistrate Court to prosecution that it does not seem to have a strong case against one of the accused to warrant him remaining behind bars.
It said the state had no direct evidence linking Matlaletsa to the killing of Horner.
This after DNA evidence extracted from Horner’s bakkie and tested at a private laboratory failed to link the first accused to the matter while that of the second accused was defective and inconclusive.
This forced the state to rely only on circumstantial evidence given by witnesses.
Forensic tests conducted at the state laboratory also failed to link the duo to the crime. Further, the blood found on the clothes of one of the accused did not belong to Horner.
Horner was found killed October 1, 2020. His body was tied to a pole and is believed to have died from strangulation. He had injuries to the face and stab wounds to the neck.
The case stirred racial tensions in the Senekal area when the accused made their initial court appearances.
Hundreds of mostly white farmers thronged the court to see the two men. The situation however turned ugly when some of the farmers forced their way into court after it adjourned, demanding that the accused be handed over to them.
Some court property was damaged and a police vehicle was torched during the fracas in which shots were allegedly fired inside court by the farmers.