Farm murder accused claims police ’deliberately’ set dog on him
AN ACCUSED charged with the robbery, kidnapping and murder of the Brand family on their farm near Hartswater in July 2020 claims that a police dog was “deliberately unleashed” on him during his arrest.
The accused - Donald Seolesang, 22, Tshepo Visagie, 38, Kgomotso Mpumlwane, 45, and Tshepaone Malato, 21, are standing trial in the Northern Cape High Court.
The charges against Realeboga Manyedi, 21, were withdrawn as he will be used as a Section 204 witness.
Constable Harold Kock from the SAPS K9 unit in Hartswater testified this week that he received information from Crime Intelligence regarding a suspect in Manyeding village in Kuruman, after Danie, Breggie and Elzabé Brand were reported missing from their home on July 26, 2020.
“Four other suspects were arrested the previous day. We were taken to a shack that was believed to be the suspect - Tshepo’s girlfriend’s home in Manyeding. She denied seeing him that day. The suspect’s mother later arrived at the shack. She was running and was out of breath. She mentioned that she was Tshepo’s mother,” Kock told the court.
“While the other officers were speaking to the suspect’s girlfriend, we drove in the back street where we saw a young man in his 30s wearing an overall jacket and blue trousers who ran away from us into the yard of a shack.”
Kock added that the clothing that the young man was wearing was similar to the description provided by his girlfriend as to what he was wearing the last time she saw him.
“I stopped my vehicle in the middle of the road and took a chance by calling out his name - ‘Tshepo’. At that stage, I did not know his surname. He reacted and looked at me. He appeared surprised and turned around.”
Kock added that the suspect started running towards them as there was a police chopper that was flying in the vicinity of the veld behind the shanties.
“He ran towards the wire fence. I warned him that I would send my dog to catch him if he did not stand still,” said Kock.
“I took out my patrol dog from the vehicle and warned him one last time. I released the dog after he jumped over the fence. The dog caught Tshepo about 20 metres from the road. I took the dog off Tshepo and my colleague handcuffed him.”
Kock stated that the suspect was taken to Hartswater police station.
“We inspected the wounds he sustained when the dog attacked him. There were scratches on both arms and bite marks on his calves and shins. I read him his rights and he was admitted for medical treatment at Connie Vorster Hospital. I later found out that his surname was Visagie.”
Kock said that he did not take note of any of Visagie’s features during the arrest.
“He was given a warning in English, Afrikaans and Tswana. I was the only police officer on the scene with a dog. I am the only one who can handle my dog, no one else.”
Visagie’s legal representative, Chande Booysen, pointed out that her client was not given a warning in a language that he understood.
“According to the accused, Constable Kock never arrested him on July 28. My client indicated that it was a white police officer who released his dog on him while he was at the house of a lady named Dipuo. He did not resist arrest or try to flee and the dog was deliberately let loose on him. A female black police officer intervened and stopped the dog from attacking the suspect,” said Booysen.
She added that the translation of the warning issued by Kock meant “get away, get away from the dog” to her client.
The case continues before acting judge Cordelia Kgopa.
