Picture: Three murder accused persons, Bakang Katong, Katlego Mosimege and Phenyo Katong/Facebook
By OBAKENG MAJE
A murder case against four accused persons has been postponed to 2 October 2023 by the Taung Regional Court. The convicted rapist, Bakang Katong (32), Thabang Lenyai (23) and Katlego Mosimege (31), and Phenyo Katong (34) were arrested more than a year ago for allegedly killing Thabiso Mothibedi (35) in cold blood.
They accused Mothibedi of stealing R20 000 cash and cigarettes worth R600 from Katong’s house in Manthe village, near Taung.
The North West police spokesperson, Capt Sam Tselanyane said the preliminary investigation revealed that on 29 April 2022, the deceased was at Longaneng village in Taung, when the accused fetched and ferried him back to Manthe village.
“Upon arrival, the deceased was allegedly chained to a generator and assaulted. After the assault, the victim was reportedly transported to a local clinic by the accused, however, he was declared dead upon arrival. The accused were arrested and charged with murder,” Tselanyane said.
On 1 May 2022, the community members were up in arms and torched three houses and a bakkie belonging to Katong’s family. The magistrate, Buti Zulu has excused himself from the case. This comes after Zulu sentenced Bakang to eight years imprisonment in a rape case a few months ago.
A new magistrate from Vryburg Magistrate’s Court is expected to take over the case.
Meanwhile, the court also heard that there was a letter from the community members requesting that the murder case be transferred to the North West High Court in Mahikeng owing to its nature, however, that was not entertained.
It is alleged that the state is set to call seven witnesses, while the accused persons will call four witnesses. There were also allegations that the accused persons intended to plead guilty. However, it is yet unknown if that is still their intention.
The Guardian 