Pretoria | Monday
TWO Pietersburg rugby club members admitted in the Pretoria High Court on Monday to having thrown the body of a Northern Province teenager into a dam near Marble Hall last year.
Riaan Botha and Kobus Joubert, however, denied any involvement in the killing of 17-year-old Tshepo Matloha near Dendron in March last year.
They and three other Noordelikes rugby club members – Ben Korff, Francois Velloen, and Corn Kloppers are accused of murdering Matloha, apparently after finding him hunting illegally on Botha’s mother’s farm.
The State alleges that Matloha’s body was thrown into the Flag Boshielo dam, about 200km away.
Charges against four other Noordelikes rugby club members ? Johan van Ravenstein, Rudolph Adendorff, Willem Boshoff, and Jaco Hartslief were withdrawn when the case resumed on Monday morning.
The accused were also charged with the attempted murder of Alex and Melford Motlokwana, who were apparently hunting with Matloha.
A third charge, of malicious damage to property, relates to the killing of five dogs. The men are also accused of defeating the ends of justice by dumping Matloha’s body in the dam.
All five of the accused pleaded not guilty on Monday.
Bert Bam, Botha’s advocate, said his client acknowledged that he had thrown Matloha’s body into the Flag Boshielo dam.
This had been an ”irrational and rash” act, Bam said.
Botha also admitted to killing the five dogs by shooting them, but contended that he had been acting within the law.
Kobus Strydom, for Joubert, said his client admitted to helping Botha to throw Matloha’s body into the dam.
The trial continues. – Sapa