“Is this how the justice system works – you can shoot and kill someone and then just leave the country for (a) vacation?”
|||A young man who was allegedly shot by his employer for being late for work and fighting back while being assaulted has apparently gone into hiding after allegedly being intimidated by his boss.
Abel Matlhare is one of two alleged victims of city businessman Johannes Boshoff, who is facing charges of murder and attempted murder after he allegedly shot them at different times in November.
The other man, Thato Bvuma, 29, died at his home in the Dikolobeng informal settlement north of the city two weeks after being discharged from hospital.
Bvuma’s family has described his death as a “racial killing” after he was allegedly shot in broad daylight while hunting with his dogs near Boshoff’s property.
His mother, Evelyn Bvuma, said on Wednesday her son’s death reminded her of the “apartheid days when a black man could just be shot and it did not matter”.
“It really hurts me that he was just shot like an animal when all he was doing was hunting rabbits. I know my son was not stealing; why would he go stealing when he had a job?” asked Evelyn.
Boshoff is out on R2 000 bail for both charges – murder and attempted murder.
The situation has raised the ire of police and is now the subject of an internal investigation as bail was apparently granted without the investigating officer being given an opportunity to oppose it.
A written complaint by the police submitted to the chief prosecutor at the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court details how the police felt Boshoff, who was allowed to go on holiday in Australia after being granted bail, received special treatment despite the serious charges he is facing.
“This office needs an explanation why bail was given to Mr Boshoff without consulting with the investigating officer or the prosecutor. “This is a case of murder.
“The State was ready to oppose bail but still was not given the chance to do so,” the head of detective services at Akasia police station states in the letter.
“The accused (Boshoff) left for vacation in Australia after he was granted bail. Is this how the justice system works – you can shoot and kill someone and then just leave the country for (a) vacation?
“Investigating officers are urged to oppose bail but when they wanted to do so they were not given the chance,” the letter reads.
Matlhare allegedly arrived late at work and found his upset boss waiting for him with another man at his place of work in Klerksoord.
He was assaulted by Boshoff and the second man but managed to free himself and fight back. But Boshoff went into his office and allegedly returned to shoot him with a rifle.
Boshoff is believed to have told police that he shot at Bvuma and another man as they were trying to steal on his property. This claim has been disputed by the man who was with Bvuma at the time he was shot.
“We were hunting rabbits in the open veld in the area when Thato (Bvuma) was shot. We were not stealing. How can we steal at 12pm while there were people at the firms.
“It was Thato’s routine to hunt there with his two dogs. But that day the man started shooting at us and one of the bullets hit Thato in the stomach.
“Thato said he had been hit but I forced him to run along until he could not run anymore and he fell. I called an ambulance and it took him to hospital,” said Jefferson Bhulada, who was with Bvuma when he was shot.
Pretoria North chief prosecutor advocate Matric Lephoro said the circumstances under which Boshoff had been granted bail were strange and were being investigated by his office.
“It has been brought to my attention that the proceedings that led to him appearing and being granted bail were strange.
“I have already received all the statements from the prosecution team and we are still dealing with some outstanding matters and other stakeholders in this case,” he said.
NPA spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said: “The circumstances under which the accused was released are being investigated to determine what legal avenues to explore if the decision to release him is not in accordance with justice or has an element of undermining the proper administration of justice.”
But Boshoff’s lawyer, André Grobler, believes everything was above board in terms of Boshoff being granted bail on the murder and attempted murder charges.
He said the court had been informed about Boshoff’s planned vacation to Australia and he had returned on the date he had specified.
He also dismissed the complaint by the SAPS, saying his client should be presumed innocent until proven guilty as provided for in the constitution.
“Further pertaining to this (paragraph 7 of SAPS letter) is the police of the opinion that if a person is being accused of an offence that person is not allowed to take a vacation?
“We are thus of the opinion that no irregularities took place in this instance,” Grobler said in a statement.
He did not acknowledge or deny the allegations that Boshoff had intimidated the complainant in the attempted murder charge. - Pretoria News