FAMILY of murdered Lwandile Mampofu were shocked when they heard that the three men linked to his death were recently acquitted at the Ramsgate High Court.
Lwandile (26) was brutally beaten on August 14, 2011 after a fight over a cigarette broke out in a Margate bar.
Judge Jerome Mnguni found Jakes Putter (33), Douw van der Walt (33) and Carel Volschenk (49) not guilty and acquitted them of all charges. The fourth accused, Petrus Opperman (47), charged with intent to do grievous bodily harm, entered into a plea agreement and was given a R10 000 fine.
Lwandile, the youngest of six siblings, had worked at the Margate Country Club. He left behind two children, aged five and three.
Lwandile’s cousin, Vuyokazi Mtembu, in a letter to the Herald, said: “I am so hurt, sad and devastated. All three accused walked free. What is the court telling us here? Did Lwandile severely beat himself to death? This is not right. Something about this case is fishy. Somebody needs to tell us the truth. How can not even a single one of them be called to book, while the police and the courts know that Lwandile was brutally beaten and died?”
Revisiting the place where his brother was found beaten, Vuyani Mampofu said his family had cried when they heard about the outcome of the case.
“Justice is not for us, but there for the killers,” said Vuyani.
“We want someone to help us reopen this case. As a family we want the case to go to the head of the justice system and to president Jacob Zuma,” he said.
“I want justice for my youngest brother. We are not happy that these men have walked free…. something wrong happened in this case.”
“They say there was no evidence but my brother is dead, isn’t that evidence?,” he asked.
