Mayonnaise death: Security guards stand trial for thief's murder

Two security guards are standing trial for murder, following a shoplifting incident where a thief was caught red-handed stealing mayonnaise from a local supermarket. 

The accused, Itumeleng Mogwemang and Neo Potlawane, appeared in the Kimberley magistrate's court on June 25. 

They pleaded not guilty to the charges and indicated that they acted in self-defence.

During the fight that broke out, one of the security officers sustained three stab wounds after being attacked by the deceased; they both were transported by ambulance for medical treatment.

The deceased died on the way to the hospital. The post-mortem results indicated that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the chest. 

The incident occurred when two thieves entered the U-Save supermarket in Roodepan on April 9, 2022. 

Potlawane chased after the thief who fled the store after stealing a pack of mayonnaise.

The deceased, who had grabbed a shopping trolley, allegedly swore at Mogwemang, pushed the trolley into him and hit him over his knees.

Legal representative for the accused Advocate Japie Schreuder stated that Mogwemang realised that “something was wrong” when the deceased pulled him back while he was armed with a knife.

“He prevented Mogwemang from running after the mayonnaise thief and stabbed him three times.” 

Schreuder explained that during the wrestling match, one of the guards used their fists to punch the deceased in the face, whereupon he fell and hit his face against a drum. 

"Mogwemang sat down as he was feeling dizzy and was assisted to get back onto his feet by his colleague, whereupon the deceased jumped up and tried to stab him again."

He added that Potlawane returned to assist Mogwemang when he was unable to find the mayonnaise thief and managed to wrestle the knife from the deceased. 

“The security guards dragged the deceased into the storeroom and detained him until the police arrived on the scene.” 

He pointed out that the accused had neither made use of any weapon nor used excessive force to subdue the deceased while he was resisting. 

“On that specific day, there was a very heated atmosphere where two thieves were stealing from the shop. The accused bore no grudges against the deceased and were carrying out their duties as security enforcement officers to protect the shop.” 

Schreuder highlighted the time lapse in the arrival of the police and ambulance, which arrived at around 4 pm, as they were contacted at 1.30 pm.

State advocate Thotlela indicated that the deceased was severely assaulted.

“An excessive amount of violence was exerted. The deceased's ribs were fractured, and he suffered internal bleeding. He suffered lacerations and injuries. A step ladder was used to assault him. An eyewitness testified that he witnessed the deceased being assaulted, trampled and kicked by the accused and dragged into the storeroom.” 

He believed that the version of the accused was improbable.  

Magistrate Morolong postponed the matter until July 23.