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A general view of the Senekal Magistrates Court.
Sharon Seretlo, Gallo Images
- Brendin Horner, a farm manager in Paul Roux, in the eastern Free State, was found murdered on October 2.
- The two men accused of killing Horner, Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa, are requesting bail.
- A witness who claimed that the defendant bragged about attacking a white man on a farm, said she received death threats for speaking to police.
One of the independent witnesses in the Brendin Horner murder case has allegedly been threatened to keep silent and stop providing information to police investigators.
Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa appeared before Senekal Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where their request for bail continued with questioning of one of the investigating officers, Captain Gerhardus Myburgh.
Myburgh took the stand and informed the court that he had met with one of the witnesses on Monday, who informed him that he had received death threats.
Apparently, the witness was told that if she continued to give information to the police, she would not see December.
The captain later told the court that a relative of Matlaletsa was suspected of being the source of the alleged threats and that an investigation had been launched.
Myburgh added that a process was underway to place the witness in witness protection.
This was the same witness allegedly sitting with the defendant in Paul Roux’s tavern, when both Mahlamba and Matlaletsa had allegedly detailed how they assaulted a white person on a farm before tying him to a fence post.
It was these details that coincided with the attack, prompting police to arrest Mahlamba and Matlaletsa.
News24 previously reported that two independent witnesses allegedly told police that Mahlamba and Matlaletsa bragged about assaulting a white man.
SEE | Inside the tragic final moments of Brendin Horner
Horner, a farm manager, was killed on Thursday, October 1, and his body was discovered the next morning.
Witnesses alleged that the defendants were at the tavern on Friday afternoon, the same day that Horner’s body was found.
The clothing taken from Mahlamba was also previously revealed to have blood stains on it, which she said was from a sheep she had slaughtered for a traditional festival in September.
READ HERE | Brendin Horner – A young man who would go out of his way to help anyone in need.
However, the police tracked down and the person who organized the party said that although he knew Mahlamba, he was not there and did not sacrifice any animals for the party.
Both Mahlamba and Matlaletsa also claimed that they were with their partners the night of the murder.
However, Mahlamba’s girlfriend told the police that at some point in the night she woke up and that he was no longer there and only returned the next morning.
READ ALSO | Senekal Dispatch: Hard Truths About EFF, Farmers, The Right And Crime
Both defendants told the court that they intended to plead not guilty.
The application of the bond continues.
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