Coligny: where a snake bite could be a gunshot or the latter could be the former

In Northwest’s embattled Coligny a cause of death can be a fatal gunshot wound on one hand or a snakebite on the other

Residents in the area have accused two farmers of murder. However, they say they weren't in the area when Tololo Serame Mosiatana died.

The 32-year-old, who lived at Scotland squatter camp, went to chop wood on January 1 and never returned.

Family friend Abraham Mokoto, 23, said a search began that day.

“We were on the farm where he went looking for wood when we were confronted by a huge snake and we gave up the search,” Mokoto told TimesLIVE on Saturday.

On Monday they went to the Coligny police.

“We reported Tololo missing and the police opened a case. On Wednesday they found him dead on the farm.”

According to Mokoto, the family suspected foul play.

“When we found him there were bloodstains on the scene and some damage to his head. We could see worms coming out.”

Even though police have told them they do not suspect foul play, the family is unsatisfied.

“They say police forensics couldn’t find a bullet hole. Tololo’s body was badly composed. It is impossible to say for sure that there is no bullet hole," said Mokoto.

According to Northwest police spokesperson Capt Sam Tselanyane, police do not view the matter as suspicious. 

“His body was found on Wednesday on the farm Rietvlei. Forensics have confirmed there is a snake bite on his left foot just above the ankle,” Tselanyane said.

“We are waiting for blood that we sent away. Once we have those results we will be able to officially confirm the cause of death, but we are seeing this is a death by snake bite.”

Six years after Coligny farmer Henk Keyser watched his farmhouse go up in flames, he has been forced to keep the gates of his property shut after Mosiatana’s body was found on his farm Rietvlei.

Keyser said rumours regarding the New Year's Day incident almost caused serious trouble.

“Opportunistic local political types immediately started spreading conflicting stories. Some people said I shot the man between the eyes for stealing wood. Others said it was Pieter Karsten.”

He confirmed Mosiatana’s body was found on his farm.

“Later they found his bag, wood and axe about 60 metres away on Pieter Karsten’s farm.

“It looks like he was cutting marog on Pieter Karsten’s farm when the snake bit him. He then jumped the fence and ran for help, but only made it about 60 metres before he was overcome.

“My son was married last year. We travelled around staying in resorts and then visited them in Vryburg. We were not even near my farm when the man died.”

Mosiatana's body is the third to be found on Keyser’s farm in recent years.

“There was a disabled boy who died from exertion after he got lost on the farm. Then about three years ago a dead woman was found in the pool. It later turned out she was murdered by a family member.”

None of these deaths were seen by police as criminal matters.

“People tried to use that to threaten me. I was even ordered by community members to pay for the snake-bite victim’s funeral,” Keyser said.

Karsten employs Pieter Doorewaard and Phillip Schutte, the men famously acquitted by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) after they were found guilty of murdering teenager Matlhomola Moshoeu when they caught him stealing sunflowers in April 2017 on Karsten’s farm.

“Neither Pieter nor I or Phillip were even in the province when this happened. The man was found on Henk’s property, but we suspect he was stealing wood and marog on our farm when the snake bit him,” Karsten said.

To add to the confusion, Karsten and Keyser’s farms are two of four in the area named Rietvlei.

“The first rumour that flew around Scotland and Coligny was that I shot the man and that my footprints and bakkie tracks were found on the scene. Instigators tried to get the local people to protest, but nothing came of it,” Karsten said.

Former NG Church dominee Tewie Pieters, who played a major role in Coligny’s journey to peace after Moshoeu’s death, said the fruits of these earlier efforts are visible in the way Scotland residents refused to be baited into violence.

“There was real dialogue between our communities. It has now been six years without any serious incident, even though some people have tried a few times to make trouble.”

TimesLIVE

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