On August 19 Elton Louw was kidnapped by five men, taken far and beaten. He died more than a week later in hospital.
Louw returned home from visiting his grandmother’s house at about 23:00, not knowing what lay in wait. Five men, three known as Shakes, Styles and Budax, waited for him in his home. They had gained entry to the house earlier that day.
“Shakes is a tenant, he rents the outside cottage from my mother and asked her for the house keys earlier that day saying that the electricity had been tripping, and that he wanted to set the mains back up,” said his sister.
Louw, later lying in hospital, told his sister what had happened.
“As soon as I got into bed, they came down from the ceiling and started beating me with ceiling banterings. They kicked and punched me, I was bleeding heavily,” he said to his sister.
The five men took Louw to Shakes’ car, a silver Volkswagen Golf, and drove with him to Old Coronation where they stripped him of his clothing and continued the merciless beating.
“A neighbour in the area told us that at about 03:00 they could hear screams. Residents started coming out of their homes to see what had happened but could not see a thing in the dark,” continued Louw’s sister.
Louw was then taken to KwaGuqa, the five men made a fire in a braai stand, they began heating irons in the coals.
“They threw him with ice cold water, then started branding him with the irons and beating him with spades. No one should go through that kind of punishment,” continued the now sobbing sister.
Louw told his sister that he could see the sun rising in the distance as they continued to mutilate his body. They had apparently beaten him in the garage belonging to Shakes’ mother.
“He couldn’t cry or scream anymore, he just lay still so that they would leave him but they didn’t. They continued until late that afternoon and loaded him back in Shakes’ car and drove him home where they had hoped to dump him,” said the sister.
“My mother and aunt, by God’s mercy decided to go home and check on Elton. They realised something was wrong when they saw the state the house was in,” she added.
On their way out Louw’s mother and aunt asked the neighbour if she had seen Elton. The neighbour told them that she had heard screams the previous night and had seen a car parked in the yard.
“My mother and aunt went back in the house, at that time Shakes’ car pulled up in the yard. Only Shakes got out and walked to the cottage at the back. My mother asked him if he saw Elton, to which Shakes replied that they had not seen him. In the meantime my aunt walked towards the car and the other three were still seated on top of something green. That’s when she noticed Elton’s hand sticking out from the green blanket,” continued Leigh-Yuni Louw.
Louw’s aunt started screaming and a neighbour and his mother came running.
The five men allegedly made the excuse that they found Louw in Old Coronation and picked him up there.
“My mother knew something was amiss, because they had lied and the fact that they didn’t want to take him to hospital,” continued the sister.
Louw was taken to Witbank Hospital at about 06:30 where he remained bedridden for seven days. Doctors suspected he suffered from internal bleeding, among his other injuries, including a number of broken and fractured bones.
After three days in hospital, Louw managed to tell his side of the story to his sisters. By August 28 he was dead.
“Elton was the only son. My only brother. There is not a place on his body that they did not burn or beat. I recall him saying this pain is so much I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy,” said Louw’s sister.
A case of kidnapping and murder was opened at Vosman Police Station and the five suspects were arrested. They first appeared in Witbank Magistrate’s Court on September 5. The case was postponed until September 8 and postponed once more to September 12 for bail application. The five suspects remain in custody.
“When they walked into court they showed no remorse. Seeing us they still had that smirk on their faces, pushing their chests out as if to say ‘we are proud and almost certain that we will get away with murder’,” ended Louw’s sister.
Louw’s body was laid to rest at Pretoria Memorial Cemetery on September 6.
