Minister of Justice and Corrections Services, Ronald Lamola, and Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, will on Wednesday, 31 January 2024, attend a court case involving two accused persons, Pieter Groenewald and Stephan Greef, at the Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo.
The two face a charge of attempted murder. In their previous court appearance, there were violent incidents outside the court and police were hard at work to maintain law and order.
The Ministers appealed to all parties involved to remain calm and allow the law to run its cause.
“The rule of law is a sacrosanct component of our democracy and all South Africans irrespective of race and background must respect this principle and there will be serious consequences for anyone or grouping seeking to under this proposition,” said Ministers Lamola and Cele.
DETAILS OF THE CASE
Piet Groenewald, 63, the owner of Wildlife Investigation and Protection Services (WIPS) and his stepson, 27-year-old Stefan Greeff are due to appear for a second time in the Groblersdal Magistrates Court after being accused of attempting to murder an employee.
According to local reports, a 30-year-old employee of WIPS, filed a complaint at the Groblersdal Police Station.
The worker, who has not been named, claimed that while on duty near Kwaggafontein, Mpumalanga, Groenewald and Greeff arrived at his location and accused him of being drunk and sleeping on duty.
The worker was then taken by the pair to the company’s office in Groblersdal, where he says an argument ensued and Groenewald hit him over the head with a heavy object.
Provincial Police Spokesperson, Col. Malesela Ledwaba claimed in a statement, “The driver (Groenewald) allegedly instructed a family member to release their pet dog on the victim. The dog bit the victim on both legs.”
The pair were subsequently arrested the next day, and the man is currently recovering from his injuries.
Elmarie Groenewald, Piet’s wife claimed in a social media post that the man had only been working for the company for a week. She claimed he had broken his radio as a result of his incoherence.