Tensions are rife outside the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court, in Mpumalanga, where an angry community has clashed with public order police.
Mkhondo farm murders: Four in court for killing Coka brothers
On Monday, four suspects accused of killing Zenzele and Amons Coka are expected to appear at the Piet Retief court for their bail hearing.
If the court finds no level of flight risk, the Mkhondo farm employees said to be responsible for the brutal and senseless death of the siblings, may walk out of court as free men.
According to reports, the Coka brothers joined a group of dwellers who sought employment at the Mkhondo farm in question, on Friday 9 April.
It is unclear what had transpired then but statements from eyewitnesses suggest that a scuffle ensued between four farmers and one jobseeker.
In the midst of this, a firearm was discharged multiple times, hitting the Coka brothers. The siblings were rushed to a nearby medical facility but later succumbed to their injuries.
Daniel Malan, Cornelius Greyling, Othard Klingberg and Michael Sternberg have since been placed under arrest and charged with two counts of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Watch: Piet Retief protests ring out ahead of bail hearing
Sickened by the scale of violence beset against farm dwellers in the region, a community of protesters has gathered outside the town’s magistrate’s court, calling for harsh action to be taken against the alleged murderers.
These are the latest scenes from the protests, where police have been forced to use advanced measures to quell the unrest.
#PietRetief Another group of protesters arriving outside Piet Ritief Magistrate's Court in Mkhondo. Community members are opposed to four accused in the murder case of Zenzele & Mgcini Coka being granted bail. #eNCA pic.twitter.com/DuRtal1RUI
— Siphamandla Goge (@SiphamandlaGoge) April 19, 2021
#PietRetief A stand off underway outside Piet Ritief Magistrate's Court in Mkhondo. Four farmers accused in the murder case of Coka siblings (Zenzele & Mgcini) set to apply for bail today. #eNCA pic.twitter.com/qyY7jvM00c
— Siphamandla Goge (@SiphamandlaGoge) April 19, 2021
#PietRitef Inside Piet Ritief Magistrate's Court in Mkhondo. Some accused peruse their affidavits they will use for bail application. #eNCA pic.twitter.com/MIt53lUaIQ
— Siphamandla Goge (@SiphamandlaGoge) April 19, 2021
Institute of Race Relations defends accused farmers
The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) CEO Dr Frans Cronje has questioned the arrest of the four Mkhondo farmers. In a statement, Cronje confirmed that the institute would be using its resources to launch an independent investigation into the events that transpired on that tragic Friday, to determine what really happened.
“The police version, much cited in the media, may be flawed to the extent that innocent men are sitting in jail. If that is the case, a grave injustice is being perpetrated and we will do all we can to see to it that the men are freed,” he said.
The IRR added that this may be yet another ploy orchestrated by politicians, activists and the media to “vilify and stigmatize racial minorities around explosive cases such as that at Mkhondo.”
“When racial nationalist stigmatization succeeds and permeates the justice system through the police and the courts – as happened at Coligny – then justice cannot be delivered and the rule of law no longer applies. It is, therefore, critical to verify that everything the police has said, and that has appeared in the media about this case to date, is true and correct. This is not an issue that should split South Africans along lines of race because so many South Africans have experience of police ineptitude and corruption and know the devastation this causes in their own communities,” Cronje added.
At the time this article was published, court proceedings into the Coka double murder had not concluded.
