Coligny killers deserve life sentences, says ex-mayor and spiritual leader

29 January 2019 - 12:21 By IAVAN PIJOOS
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte speak to their legal team during sentencing proceedings at the North West High Court
Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte speak to their legal team during sentencing proceedings at the North West High Court
Image: Iavan Pijoos

A spiritual leader testified during the sentencing proceedings of two farm workers convicted of the murder of a Coligny teenager in the North West High Court that the two men deserved life sentences.

David Celo, also a former mayor of the town, was the second state witness to call on the court to sentence the men to life imprisonment.

"My humble request is for the court to give the accused life sentences and to teach a lesson that if someone commits such a crime, they should be punished," said Celo on Tuesday.

On Monday, Stanley Mnyakama was the first state witness to ask for life imprisonment.

Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte were convicted in October 2018 of murdering Matlhomola Mosweu. The 16-year-old was believed to have been thrown out of a moving bakkie. After a lengthy trial the two were also found guilty of the boy's  kidnapping, intimidation, theft and pointing a firearm. The incident happened on April 20 2017. 

Celo told the packed court that he was the first black mayor to be elected in Coligny, back in 1996, when he said he was tasked with uniting black and white members of the community.

Asked by state prosecutor Moeketsi Moeketsi about the relationship between black and white residents when he was mayor, Celo replied: "It was not nice. You should recall that the new government was now taking its place."

Celo admitted that during his tenure as a mayor, there had been tension between the black and white communities in Coligny. Asked by Moeketsi how he had dealt with that tension, Celo said: "It wasn't easy."

As an example, Celo referred to an incident in which a farm worker named Simon died on a farm in the area. He said the land owner had refused to allow the worker to be buried on his property. After several protests, the worker was buried just outside the border of the property.

When questioned by judge Ronald Hendricks about the relevance of his example, Celo  told the court that as a spiritual leader he had done work with both black and white community members.

"We are trying to show the whites that we are treating them as people and accepting," he said.

He said the community of Coligny community had been "badly affected" by Mosweu's death, which had caused a lack of trust between black and white.

According to Celo, calm had been restored to the area following the arrest of the men.


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now