The Amazwi Villager

Written by Bongekile Mhlanga

On the 15th August, in the Bushbuckridge Magistrates court, there was no space to sit at. Outside protesters were singing and marching. On their faces, drips of sweat fell to the ground. The protestors were asking the magistrate that the suspects should not be given bail.

The three suspects– Patrick Floyd Mokoena, 58; his son, Sidney Toto Mokoena, 33; and Sidney’s friend, Mjojo Justice Ndubane, 28 –were arrested between 13 and 14 August 2008. They are accused of killing Clarence Brown, 25, on 23 February 2008.

According to the police, Floyd approached his son, Toto, and told him that he urgently needed human body parts to make his four businesses generate money quickly.

This is not unusual. People die everyday around South Africa for their body parts, used for muthi or sold for money. Many people believe that human parts have the power to make someone rich, especially if the victim was screaming while being mutilated. It is said that when the person cries, he’s calling customers to come to your business. There is even a story that people tell about a young boy who was mutilated while still alive, and then his murderers scooped out his brains.

In their confession to the police, Toto, Floyd Mokoena’s son, admitted to asking his friends to help him fulfill his father’s wish. The body parts were supposed to be that of a family member. Toto, Justice and Simon Nkosi, then went in search of Brown, who was returning from a tavern. Brown was Floyd’s nephew and Toto’s cousin. The suspects laid in wait for the victim at a bridge he was to pass on his way home. When Brown arrived at the bridge, he saw a car that was familiar to him, and the occupants offered him a lift. He did not reach his destination because according to the accused, they cut off his private parts, heels, and removed his brains while he was still alive. All of this happened inside Toto’s vehicle, a blue Venture. The three suspects threw the victim in the middle of the road and ran over him, making it look like it was a hit-and-run. The suspects claim they were assaulted and forced to confess to the murder. The investigating officers denied laying a hand on them.

When Brown’s sister, Divine was asked how she felt about this whole incident, she answered with a flood of tears, while holding her brother’s picture.

“This is shocking. Your own uncle doing this to you. I hope they all rot in jail,” said one of the protesters. According to Captain Hlathi, the three were arrested whilst sitting and relaxing at their homes. “They were thinking that their evil deeds had gone unnoticed,” said Hlathi. They were remanded in custody until 26 August 2008, when they would appear again in court for the bail hearing. On the 21 August, the police exhumed the body for further investigations.

On the set date, the accused appeared again in court for their hearing. M.R. Mashiloane represented the defendants. They all repeated their claims that they were assaulted when arrested; That is why, they say, they admitted to killing Brown. Floyd Mokoena said, “This is a political issue. The Chief is angry because I’m no longer a member of the ANC, and that I disrespected him during a family meeting.”

It took six days for the bail hearing to be finalized, during which Mashiloane asked to be excused because of the threats on his life and family. Advocate P.J. Laurens took over the representation of the accused. He tried his best to get them bail, but at the end of the day, the decision was left to the magistrate.

The state said that it couldn’t grant the accused bail because it was afraid “They would not see sunset.” He further said that the community of Oakley was very angry. The deceased’s family cried with joy. Floyd’s family was sad, but there was nothing they could do. The supporters outside were ecstatic when they heard the defendants were denied bail.

Whether the accused did kill Brown for his body parts, or it was politically related, it’s up to the State to prove it, defense to convince the state, and the magistrate to decide. The date for the trial is set for 7 November 2008.