- Title: South African coffin assault duo plead 'not guilty' during trial
- Date: 31st July 2017
- Summary: DELMAS, SOUTH AFRICA (JULY 31, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) PROTESTORS SINGING AND HOLDING A BANNER READING (English): "RACISM MUST FALL"/ DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA) PROTESTORS DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE (DA) PROTESTORS HOLDING BOARDS AND CHANTING (Zulu): "Down with racism!" ANC PROTESTERS SINGING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING IN COURT ROOM ACCUSED MAN, THEO MARTINS JACKSON FOLLOWED BY ACCUSED MAN, WILLEM OOSTHUIZEN WALKING INTO COURT ROOM OOSTHUIZEN AND JACKSON WALKING IN COURT ROOM WOMAN WEARING A DA CAP SITTING IN COURT AND TALKING OOSTHUIZEN AND JACKSON MEN SITTING AND THEIR LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES STANDING LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES SITTING DOWN/TWO ACCUSED MEN STANDING LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES SITTING COURT IN PROGRESS OOSTHUIZEN IN COURT ROOM VARIOUS OF LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE READING OOSTHUIZEN SIGNING A COURT DOCUMENT JACKSON STANDING LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE SHOWING PAPERS TO JACKSON AND GIVING IT TO OTHER LAWYER LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE STANDING UP DA PROTESTORS SINGING AND DANCING POLICE OFFICERS STANDING OUTSIDE COURT (SOUNDBITE) (English) DA MEMBER, SOFIA MUKOLA, SAYING: "We reject discrimination, so we also trust in the justice of our law and also we trust in our judges obviously, that's why we have the courts and the judges, so whichever outcome we will be, we will take it as it is." ANC PROTESTERS SINGING (SOUNDBITE) (Zulu) ANC MEMBER, THEMBA SIBANYONI, SAYING: "We want to see these boers (white farmer) getting a life sentence, because we are tired of boers who abuse black people in rural areas."
- Embargoed: 14th August 2017 13:51
- Keywords: South Africa court case coffin assualt Victor Mlotshwa
- Location: DELMAS AND MIDDLEBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
- City: DELMAS AND MIDDLEBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA0016S1SVNR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Two white South African men, who allegedly forced a black man into a coffin and threatened to pour petrol over him, have pleaded not guilty on the first day of their trial at the Delmas High Court on Monday (July 31).
The two accused, Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen told the court they wanted to teach Victor Mlotshwa a lesson and did not intend to cause harm they face charges of kidnapping, assault, attempted murder and possession of an illegal firearm. They were granted bail last month.
The 20-second video, which was widely circulated on social media in November 2016, shows Mlotshwa cowering inside a coffin as one man pushes a lid on his head and the other threatens to put petrol and a snake inside the casket. Mlotshwa later escaped.
The case has caused outrage in a country where deep racial divides persist 22 years after the fall of apartheid. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) and the official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) picketed outside the high court to raise awareness against racial prejudice in the country. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None