Two farmers were arrested recently after the decomposed body of Richard Mkhari was found tied to a tree on Vygeboom farm near Phalaborwa in Limpopo. C ommunity members from the settlement of Gravelotte made the gruesome find and led police to the scene, said Limpopo police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Motlafela Mojapelo.
It’s believed that Mkhari had been accused of poaching on the farm before being beaten to death. His family knew something was amiss when two of his six dogs returned home without him. The owner of the farm was initially arrested and charged with kidnapping. He appeared in the Gravelotte magistrate’s court on 26 July and was granted R10 000 bail, on condition that he report to the Gravelotte police station every two days. He was also warned not to leave Gravelotte or talk to witnesses.
O n the following day, 27 July, he was re-arrested, this time on murder charges, after bloodstains were found at the farm. His lawyer had previously argued that without a body there was no murder case against his client, and that might have fled to Mozambique.
The police were then forced to withdraw the charge. But when Mkhari’s body was found on 4 August, the police went to the farm to arrest the farmer for murder, only to find that he was not there. He was finally arrested on the following Tuesday morning when he reported to the police station in accordance with his bail conditions. “Police immediately placed him under arrest. They also arrested another farmer, suspected of being his accomplice, who owns a nearby farm,” Mojapelo said.
He said the two farmers had been charged with murder and defeating the ends of justice. At the time of going to print both suspects were in custody. – African Eye News Service
