The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo reported that three men who are accused of killing German tourist Herman Gunter Friedrich Westphal, 74, in Northam on Saturday, appeared in court on Monday to answer to a murder charge. The victim’s body was discovered by police in the bushes. The culprits had already left the area.
“An intelligence driven operation was activated and two suspects were arrested in North West later in the evening in possession of some of the deceased’s belongings.”
Abstein Madzvimbo, 22, Jan Thabonga Moshabi, 36, and Thomas Moyo, 39, are also accused of violating the Immigration Act. In order to secure legal representation, their case was postponed until March 4 before the Northam magistrate’s court, when they made a brief appearance. They are still being held.
Westphal drove a Toyota from Botswana to South Africa on Friday morning, arriving in Lephalale early on Saturday. According to NPA spokesman Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, “along the way he offered an unknown male hitchhiker a lift whom the deceased requested to assist with accommodation in North West before he could proceed with his tour across the country.”
The suspect suggested they stop at a liquor store when they got to Moruleng, where they had a couple of drinks. It was thought that the suspect had told his two companions about the deceased.
“The gullible victim was driven to Moshabi’s residence by the accused and his two accomplices. When they arrived, they demanded the PIN for his bank account while tying him up and beating him. Along with searching him, they removed additional valuables and an undisclosed sum of cash, the woman claimed.
After taking off the car’s license plates, the three suspects assaulted Westphal and drove him to Northam. After dragging the victim out of the car, they left him in the shrubbery. A parked car with no number plates caught the attention of security personnel.
“They called the police as soon as they noticed bloodstains on Moshabi’s T-shirt. The body of the dead was then found in the surrounding bushes, and he was taken into custody at the site.
With some of Westphal’s items in their hands, the other two suspects were taken into custody on Saturday in the North West.
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