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Two suspects have been arrested for the murder of the Free State farm manager, Brendin Horner.
- Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed the criminal records of the men accused of killing farm manager Brendin Horner.
- One suspect was arrested 16 times and convicted of stock theft four times.
- On a visit to the Horner family, Cele said no conviction or sentence could bring Horner, 21, back.
One of the men charged with murdering the farm manager, Brendin Horner, had been arrested 16 times previously and was found guilty and sentenced for stock theft on four different occasions.
This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele, who, together with State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, visited Horner’s family, allegedly murdered on a farm in Paul Roux on October 1.
Horner’s body was discovered the next morning and Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa were arrested a day later, on October 3.
Police previously said the men who killed Horner were suspected of being cattle thieves.
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Without revealing who the suspect is, Cele said one of the men who had been arrested 16 times was convicted four times of stock theft.
Of the twelve cases that were withdrawn, several of them were also related to stock theft.
Other cases related to theft and minor crimes.
The second suspect had been arrested three times, including in a case of stock theft and, more recently, in contravention of the regulations of the Disaster Management Act.
Later Tuesday, during a meeting with farmers in a room outside Bethlehem, Cele noted that the defendant had been sentenced to 18 months in prison in one of the cases and 12 months in another.
“So it seems like they are people who are habitual criminals. We really hope that this time they don’t get another chance to do what has happened,” Cele said.
Family
After the meeting with the Horner family, which occurred behind closed doors, Cele said it was with heavy hearts that he and the delegation came to visit the family and convey their condolences.
Cele and Dlodlo said they shared the family’s grief, but admitted they could never fully sympathize as neither of them had lost a child.
“We come here to offer our condolences, but also to share with them the pain they feel, without pretending that we understand the pain,” Dlodlo said.
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“The pain of losing a 21-year-old son is something we can never imagine; it’s even worse when you lose your son to murder, it becomes very difficult to deal with.”
Dlodlo also spoke out on the murders in the farming community, saying that one death was too much.
He said the farming community included farm workers and crossed racial lines.
Cele said that while paying their respects, they also visited the family to hear their concerns and to tell the family that the police were working on the case, to find out what happened.
However, even if the defendants were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, he would never bring Horner back, who showed much promise and potential, Cele added.
Cele said the family was very accommodating and responsive, but added that it was clear Horner’s mother was not dealing with her son’s death at all.
Mahlamba and Matlaletsa appeared briefly before the Senekal Magistrates Court on October 6, where the case was postponed until October 16.
