Families relieved as Paul Roux murder accused are set free

The family of one of the two men accused of killing a farm manager in a crime that sparked racial tensions in Free State, believe their son was a victim of greed by people who wanted a reward for his arrest.  

Sekola Matlaletsa, 44, and Sekwetja Mahlamba, 32, had charges of murdering and robbing  Brendin Horner withdrawn against them yesterday by the Bloemfontein High Court sitting in the Bethlehem magistrate’s court. This comes as judgment is expected to be handed down today in the matter against both men.

The state admitted that it did not have a case against the two men accused of murdering Horner in Paul Roux last year. Yesterday, prosecutor Adv Jacque Harrington confirmed that the two accused had no case to answer for the murder and robbery charges that they faced. 

Mahlamba’s father, Elias Mahlamba, told Sowetan yesterday that he always believed that his son was innocent of the allegations he faced.

“We are happy that charges against them were withdrawn. My son is not a murderer. When they refused him bail last year, my heart was sore because I knew that he was being punished for something he did not do. I did believe that the truth would come out,” said Elias.

Asked how his son was doing after court proceedings ended on a high, Mahlamba said: “He is fine. He is happy with what happened because he always said he was innocent and that people in our township wanted to cash in on the reward that was put for the arrest of Horner’s murderers. He did not kill that boy.”

Mahlamba was released on R5,000 bail this year after DNA samples lifted from the crime scene did not match his.

Horner's murder divided Paul Roux along racial lines as the incident magnified the tensions which existed between community members. Riots broke out in the small town of Senekal on October 6 last year when Matlaletsa and Mahlamba made their first court appearance.

Matlaletsa, who spoke to eNCA yesterday, said he was hurt and heartbroken to have had his community turn its back on him and his family.

“I am praying for this dark cloud that has been hovering over my family’s head to be lifted. I have not been able to do anything or get a job because I have been labelled a killer. I just want to find work and be able to take care of my children,” said Matlaletsa.

Last year, Matlaletsa’s mother-in-law Matotelo Mokoena told Sowetan that they had received threats to leave the township of Fateng-Tse-Ntsho after Matlaletsa was arrested. She said they were scared for their lives. Matlaletsa was released on R5,000 bail last year after magistrate Deon van Rooyen said the state’s case against Matlaletsa was weak.

At the time Van Rooyen said apart from the two statements obtained from witnesses, there was no evidence linking Matlaletsa to Horner’s murder.

“There are no eyewitnesses and the DNA results taken from the bakkie were inconclusive as far as it relates to him,” Van Rooyen said.

AfriForum’s campaign manager Jacques Brooderyk said the decision to drop the murder charge is concerning.

“Firstly, information about police involvement in stock theft syndicates has been doing the rounds for a long time. If you take that into consideration, it is shocking that it apparently took the police a year to realise that the DNA found at the scene does not match the accused’s DNA, especially after one of the accused has already admitted to being involved in the murder,” said Brooderyk.

“The fact that the state witness in the case, Boy Khambule, has now changed his testimony, could certainly create the impression that someone is interfering with the case. Horner and the thousands of other farm attack victims deserve justice… We will certainly consider private prosecution,” he said.

EFF Free State chairperson Mandisa Makesini welcomed the court’s decision.

“We welcome the drop of the charges. This will give the state the opportunity to do more investigations and find out who did that [committed the murder] because we do not condone any killing of any person regardless of their race,” said Makesini.