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- A Stuijt
- Retired South African medical journalist, ex-Sunday Times of Johannesburg.
Monday, 19 September 2011
Marais family, Wesselsbron targets of cops, hired killers
11:33 | 
Posted by
A Stuijt |
Virginia Conspiracy trial nears conclusion: Ten men (4 cops, and also brother of a FS ANC-leader) charged with the contract-killing conspiracy to murder Wesselsbron farmer Karel Marais.
2011-09-18 Volksblad journalist Tom de Wet writes that ten men -- amongst them four cops and ex-cops -- stand accused of conspiring to kill wealthy Free State businessman and farmer Karel Marais as well as two police-investigators, SAPF inspector Lizelle Herbst and inspector Nico Smith of the Falcons special investigation unit.
Faan Rossouw, an ex police-informant was the last to testify in the trial, admitting that he was paid R7,500 for his share in the conspiracy. Judge Faan Hancke is expected to deliver his verdict in the Virginia court this week.
The accused men are: Mr Molehane Mabuza of Wesselsbron, police-informant Faan Rossouw, Christiana funeral director Andrew Scheepers, Christiana resident Barney Booysen, SAPF insp. Xolisile Blom, insp. Jabulane Xaba, ex-police officer Japhta Khotule who is the brother of Free State legislature MEC Dan Kho-thule, SAPF insp. Steven Mtwala, Mr Sechaba Masiane and SAPF insp. Sello Mtsala. MEC Dan Khotule, although not charged, also earlier denied earlier testimony that he he had provided the funds for the 'hit'.
The men were charged with kidnapping, theft, armed robbery, conspiracy to murder three people, impersonating police officers and using an official vehicle without permission.
Marais and his family were targetted in a reign of terror: the family was attacked on their farm, Mr Marais was threatened with death, was kidnapped, and was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of Rands to the accused. Fortunately, the FS Marnet farm-security was so effective that four contract-killers were arrested.
The State delivered detailed testimony on the way the men had conspired to kill Marais and the two police-investigators while they were at the jail at Odendaalsrus.
The public prosecutor is Advocate Antoinette Ferreira. The legal counsellors representing the accused are adv. Terance Tshabalala, adv. Oupa Makhene, adv. Willem Edeling, adv. Jan Nkhale and Mr Dawie Reyneke.
previous reports -
Armed attack by six uniformed cops created permanent fear, trauma for Marais Boer family, Wesselsbron –
-
Four contract killers were captured by Wesselsbron farm-watch in Oct 2010 who had been paid R1000 each to kill Marais, who from yesterday is testifying as the main State witness in a high-level corruption trial involving leading ANC-members…
Virginia, Free State. Local well-known boer Carel Marais, farmer and businessman of Wesselsbron, testified about he and his family still receiving death-threats after they were attacked by four black police officers, an ex-cop and the brother of a leading ANC-MEC in the legislature, on their Free State farm. “We try to stay positive but it’s not so easy every day. To know that our lives also are still being threatened, is difficult. We have lost all our faith in the police.’
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- Marais had also testified on 4 October 2010 that four hired black killers had also been sent from Gauteng to his farm to kill him so that he would not be able to testify at their corruption trial yesterday. Members of the local farm-watch Marnet captured the men in a road block on his farm…
Tom de Wet yesterday noted that the six (unidentified) black men on trial for corruption - four black police officers, one black ex-police officer and the brother of an ANC-MEC in the Free State legislature -- had shown up at the Marais farm dressed in police uniform, and attacked the family, holding them up at gunpoint. He has since then had to install thousands of Rands worth of security equipment, now has to pack a gun every day for self-protection as they are ver likely still being earmarked as targets by contract-killers. It would be impossible for the family to join the witness-protection programme because of his business interests and his farm. His attorney Tom Bothma confirmed that Marais has lodged a civilian damages-law suit of more than R2,8million against the SAPS.
- Newspapers first described the attacks as having been carried out by ‘bogus police officers.” Instead they turned out to be four on-duty cops, a former cop and the brother of a high-level ANC- provincial MEC… http://www.nuus24.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Rooftog-traumaties-angswekkend-se-boer-20110127-2 http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/10/sa-news-oct-5-2010.html
- Free State police spokesman col. Motantsi Ma-khele said in reaction to the contract-killers’ attack on Marais that he had already called on the SAPS months ago to provide protection and security for besieged farmers like Marais – and that he was then accused of ‘suffering from paranoia’ by certain politicians…
- Jan van Niekerk, Freedom Front Plus member of the Free State legislature, was bitterly unhappy with the poor security provided for Marais. “The fact that various police officers are accused of corruption in a trial he has to testify at, as the star-witness, combined with the many threats against Marais’ life, are more than sufficient reason to provide him with 24/7 protection. All the available information indicates that the police are completely incapable of guaranteeing his safety. “As the main witness his life definitely is in danger and everything possible must be done to protect him.’ he said. http://sadailynews24.com/polisie-se-plan-maak-ook-voorsiening-vir-boer-suid-afrika-nuus-680158.htm
2010-10-04 Free State Farmer Carel Marais and wife escape unscathed from 4 hired killers
– sent to kill him before his testimony in 24 Jan. Free State corruption trial…
2010-10-04 Tom de Wet reports in Volksblad from WESSELSBRON that local farmer Carel Marais, 59, had his life saved by the restlessness of his little Jack Russell-dog which usually is very calm. He said the dog alerted him and his wife to the presence of four armed black men who ‘were there to kill me so that I would not testify in a corruption trial.’Marais is the main witness in the trial of nine men which is scheduled from 24 January next year at the Virginia High Court. One of the investigating officers in the case, inspector Nico Smith, confirmed that he was also threatened with contract-killers. Said Marais: “I have no doubt that those four men from Gauteng, who were each found with R1,000 cash on them after their arrest, had come to kill me.”
The SAPS also obtained sworn statements from specific prisoners at Odendaalsrus confirming that a contract-killing was taken out against Marais. He and his wife Ina were first alerted by a ‘bird in the garden making very strange noises,’ they said. Only later did they realise that the four armed attackers were whistling like that to communicate with each other. The couple also were alerted by the fact that their little dog was jumping up and down and barking loudly near some bushes in the front garden. When he walked closer he saw a black man pointing a firearm at him – but Marais was faster, fired off a shot and ran behind a wall to hide – running smack-dab into three other gunmen who fled.
- His gun failed to fire at that point and he yelled at his wife to lock the front door while he rushed inside through the backdoor and immediately raised the alarm on the Marnet-farm-security radio network.
Agri-Free State security chief Hennie Gerber said the farm-watch units had acted pro-actively by setting up road-blocks, as they also did in the attack a week earlier against Mrs Cecelia Steynberg, who had shot an attacker inside her bedroom before he could kill her. “If our security plan is in place and the cooperation is there, the suspects won’t get away”, Gerber said. SAPS sergeant Mmako Mophiring, confirmed that the four suspects – all from Gauteng province, were in the custody of the Falcons, the organised crime-unit and that their vehicle was confiscated. Volksblad http://www.volksblad.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Boer-glo-aanval-op-sy-plaas-was-om-sy-getuienis-te-verhinder-20101004
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