Case against ‘racist’ Tshwane murderers postponed to May

Two Pretoria men who gruesomely murdered a man in what was described as a racist attack will only hear their fate in May.

On Wednesday in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, Judge Eben Jordaan postponed the trial of Sampie Diedericks, 34, of Zandfontein and Louis Coetser, 35, of Silverton, to May 15 for the completion of pre-sentencing reports.

The two men were earlier convicted of murdering Nndwakhulu Charles Magoro, an agricultural officer, in 2014 by kicking and punching him and repeatedly slamming his private parts against a traffic sign pole.

Magoro was taken to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, where he died of his injuries about a month later.

A post-mortem report described the cause of his death as a head injury complicated by pneumonia.

Diedericks and Coetser were also convicted for seriously assaulting Herbert Nevhutanda, whom they kicked and hit, and for assaulting Thomas Rampala, whom they pushed and punched and threatened to shoot.

Magoro, a father of two, and Nevhutanda were driving on the Old Moloto Road in Kameeldrift on their way to return a cellphone to Rampala when Coetser, who was driving a BMW, flicked his lights at him.

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When he stopped, Coetser approached him with Diedericks, who had stopped his own vehicle at the scene.

An altercation ensued during which the accused severely assaulted Magoro.

They also severely assaulted Rampala and Nevhutanda, who fled from the scene.

The court rejected the accused’s claim that they had stopped because rocks had been placed on the road and had defended themselves from an attack by their victims.

Robert Rasilingwani, the brother-in-law of Magoro’s wife Ester, said the family was still considering an offer by the accused to pay R3 000 each per month to the widow for the next five years, but wanted justice to take its course before they made a decision.

He said Ester had suffered a stroke, could not work and had lost all support.

The whole family had travelled from Venda to see justice being done and were disappointed at the postponement.

“Personally, I hate racism, whether it is by black or white. This attack was solely a racist attack,” said Rasilingwani.

“As an ordained pastor and a Christian, I can forgive them.

“You can’t change what happened, but I feel the accused must change.”

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