/ 1 June 2007

Free State official faces culpable-homicide charge

Free State provincial minister for safety and security Playfair Morule faces a culpable-homicide charge in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court, the Volksblad newspaper reported on Friday.

The case was postponed to August 24 for a possible trial, after Morule (47) appeared in court on Thursday.

He will then be asked to plead to the charge, according to the report.

Morule’s court appearance is in connection with an accident, just outside Bloemfontein on the N8 highway, in which a man died.

The accident happened on September 3 2006 at 2am near the Engen garage on the road to the Bloemfontein Airport.

Onikwa Mtila (21) died, when he was apparently knocked over by a vehicle.

According to a statement issued at the time of the accident, three young men ran over the road despite the oncoming vehicle, and the accident happened while the driver was trying to avoid a collision. — Sapa