Supreme Court of Appeal overturns convictions of duo in Coligny murder

Two men convicted of the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Coligny have had their convictions overturned by the Supreme Court of Appeal.

In 2018, Philip Schutte and Pieter Doorewaard were found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Matlhomola in Coligny in April 2017.

The pair were sentenced to an effective 18 and 23 years behind bars respectively for killing Moshoeu after accusing him of stealing sunflowers from a farm.

The teen's death triggered racial tensions in the small farming town.

The duo successfully approached the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to challenge the conviction handed down in the North West High Court.

The application to appeal the convictions was brought by rights group AfriForum on behalf of Doorewaard and Schutte.

AfriForum has released a statement on Friday afternoon welcoming the SCA's decision.

"AfriForum bore the full cost of the appeal application because we believed in their innocence and today justice was done, ”said Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum.

The civil rights organization AfriForum welcomes the fact that Phillip Schutte and Pieter Doorewaard were found not guilty today on all charges against them in the Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

AfriForum

This is a developing story. More details to follow.

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