Two appear in court for Metz murder
“Losing my brother has been extremely traumatic; the pain he suffered haunts me.”
Two men have been arrested in connection with the death of Barend Johannes Metz (58), who was allegedly assaulted at a pub in Northmead in August and who died five days later.
The two men, aged 37 and 22, briefly appeared in the Benoni District Court on January 22 and 26, where they were granted bail of R2 000 and R5 000, respectively.
They again appeared on February 28 and the case was transferred to the Benoni Regional Court.
The pair are expected back in court on March 28.
They are facing charges of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, common assault and murder.
Speaking to the Benoni City Times, Metz’s sister, Crystal Hebrard, said her brother frequented the local watering hole to watch sports.
“He was an avid sports fan and would go there to catch up on the latest scores,” she said.
“I woke up in the early hours of September 1.
“Ben, as he was affectionately known, was knocking at my window,” said Hebrard.
“When I opened the door, I saw he was covered in blood. He said he was assaulted at the pub.”
Due to a chronic medical condition which requires high dosages of pain medication, Hebrard was unable to physically help her brother.
“He went to bed, saying he would seek medical attention in the morning,” she said.
“With the help of a female friend, Ben was taken to Tambo Memorial Hospital for treatment later that day.
“He was discharged shortly afterwards and went to the friend’s home in Witfield to recover.”
On September 5, Hebrard received a call to inform her that Ben had died.
“According to the autopsy report, he suffered blunt force trauma to the abdomen, which resulted in internal
bleeding and subsequent death,” she said.
“He did not deserve to die like that. My brother was a gentle and kind man,” she said.
Expressing her anger, Hebrard said she couldn’t believe the accused were granted bail.
“I only hope justice is served.”
CCTV footage, which was widely shared on social media, shows Metz alone at the bar in the pub on August
31, at 21:40.
Two men enter and sit next to him. One of the men is seen taking the victim’s phone and passing it to the other man.
Metz then gets up, and a verbal altercation ensues and thereafter Metz is physically assaulted by both men.
The altercation lasted about five seconds before bystanders and management intervened.
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