Professor Gert Saayman, a specialist forensic pathologist, gave the evidence in the trial of North West building contractor Schalk Myburgh and his son Schalk Jnr, who have pleaded not guilty to murdering Brits farmer Marsha Mavula in December 2015 by severely assaulting him and driving over him with their bakkie.
They admitted to confronting Mavula, who they suspected of being a stock thief, but insisted they had fled from the scene in fear of their lives after he attacked them and had no idea how he sustained the injuries that killed him, although Myburgh senior admitted to falling on top of Mavula.
The North West principal medical officer said in her autopsy report Mavula had sustained 48 rib fractures, a ruptured liver and lungs, had massive bleeding on the head and had died of multiple blunt force injuries.
(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Background reporting, Ilse de Lange)