Accused pleads not guilty to Claassen murders in Ohrigstad
Phone records show suspect was at the Echo Caves at the time of murder.
Christopher Mgiba (30) appeared in the Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court on October 26, facing charges of murder, assault, theft, arson and robbery with aggravating circumstances. His case has been postponed to November 13 while investigations continue.
Mgiba is accused of the murders of Anneke Claassen and her friend, Hennie, outside Ohrigstad on June 3. The Claassens were killed in their respective houses on the farm Klipfonteinhoek. The farm is also home to a well-known tourism destination, the Echo Caves.
The two, aged 73 and 77, were tortured and left for dead before their homes were set alight.
The Limpopo SAPS had tracked Mgiba down in Tembisa, Gauteng, on June 14. He was linked to the murders.
During the court session, it was revealed that prior to the murders, Mgiba had had two pending court cases against him. He had also previously been charged with assault on his ex-girlfriend, and a case of theft of R10 000 was opened by Anneke on August 27, 2022.
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Nthabiseng Mampho, the mother of his two children, also has a protection order against him.
Mgiba, who is a former employee at the Echo Caves, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The investigating officer, Sergeant Justice Montshwane of the Ohrigstad SAPS, said Mgiba had been linked to the murders through his phone. “We accessed his cellphone movements prior to the day of the murders. His phone showed he was at the scene on June 3. That is the same one we found on him when he was arrested.”
He told the court that the cellphone maps also depicted Mgiba’s movements back to Gauteng after the crimes.
