A lawyer representing two men charged with illegal hunting broke down in tears as they described being forced to eat their dog.
The packed Komgha Magistrate’s Court took a brief adjournment to accommodate the emotional outbreak yesterday.
The two accused, Lwando Folokwe, 25, and Akhona Dyantyi, 35, told the court the son of a well-known East London businessman had shot their dogs dead and then forced them to eat one at gunpoint after he found them in the family’s private game reserve on Friday.
Yesterday was their first court appearance since their arrest on Friday.
The men were allegedly caught with a dead bushbuck in the Tyityaba Game Reserve in Komgha by Karl Krull, son of reserve owner and East London businessman EV Krull.
Under questioning by Magistrate Michelle Pillay, Folokwe and Dyantyi told the court Krull shot their two dogs dead and then instructed them to eat one.
An appalled Pillay listened as the men recounted how Krull, armed with a rifle, had first tied their hands with wire and ordered them to load the dead bushbuck and their two dogs onto the back of his bakkie.
“We then got to the back of the bakkie and he ordered us to eat the dogs, saying if we don’t he will shoot us.
“He told us that by the time we get to the police station we should have finished eating the dogs,” Folokwe said.
“The manager was with his they were seated in the front and we were seated in the back,” said Folokwe.
“The kept on looking back at us to make sure we were eating.
“By the time we got to the Komgha police station our stomachs were full. We ate the whole dog until its neck, only the skin was remaining.”
Pillay then asked Dyantyi if he had anything to add. Dyantyi alleged Krull had kicked them in their ribs and assaulted them.
Pillay asked: “And who did the dogs belong to?”
Folokwe answered: “My father.”
Pillay then asked: “Was the dog still warm when you ate it?”
The two responded “yes”.
It was at this point that their Legal Aid lawyer Samela Bula broke down and cried.
She asked for a short adjournment to compose herself.
Although Krull is the complainant in the case he was not in court yesterday.
He did not respond to voice calls or text messages sent to him for comment either.
However, late yesterday the Dispatch received a call from a man claiming to be his brother, Frank Krull.
He said the family was trying under difficult circumstances to protect the nature reserve.
He alleged that about 30 rhinos had been poached from the reserve in “the last year or two”.
“A kudu was killed last week. Why did not report about that?”
Frank said his brother had legal representation and would not be commenting to the Dispatch.
“You must be careful of making statements because you are now being watched,” he said.
When court resumed, Pillay asked prosecutor Wesley Peter-George if he was aware of the dog-eating incident, to which he responded: “The information is not in the docket.”
Bula asked for the information to be added to the docket for the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to deliberate on.
Peter-George said the decision whether to prosecute Folokwe and Dyantyi rested with the DPP.
He did not oppose the two being released on a warning.
Pillay said the accused should liaise with their attorney if they needed tests conducted on them.
She postponed the case to September 13 for further investigation and the DPP’s decision.
“I hope when we come back next month, you would have found out what the station commander of Komgha did about this information of the accused being fed a dog,” Pillay said to the prosecutor. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Lawyer’s tears halt hearing
The packed Komgha Magistrate’s Court took a brief adjournment to accommodate the emotional outbreak yesterday.
The two accused, Lwando Folokwe, 25, and Akhona Dyantyi, 35, told the court the son of a well-known East London businessman had shot their dogs dead and then forced them to eat one at gunpoint after he found them in the family’s private game reserve on Friday.
Yesterday was their first court appearance since their arrest on Friday.
The men were allegedly caught with a dead bushbuck in the Tyityaba Game Reserve in Komgha by Karl Krull, son of reserve owner and East London businessman EV Krull.
Under questioning by Magistrate Michelle Pillay, Folokwe and Dyantyi told the court Krull shot their two dogs dead and then instructed them to eat one.
An appalled Pillay listened as the men recounted how Krull, armed with a rifle, had first tied their hands with wire and ordered them to load the dead bushbuck and their two dogs onto the back of his bakkie.
“We then got to the back of the bakkie and he ordered us to eat the dogs, saying if we don’t he will shoot us.
“He told us that by the time we get to the police station we should have finished eating the dogs,” Folokwe said.
“The manager was with his they were seated in the front and we were seated in the back,” said Folokwe.
“The kept on looking back at us to make sure we were eating.
“By the time we got to the Komgha police station our stomachs were full. We ate the whole dog until its neck, only the skin was remaining.”
Pillay then asked Dyantyi if he had anything to add. Dyantyi alleged Krull had kicked them in their ribs and assaulted them.
Pillay asked: “And who did the dogs belong to?”
Folokwe answered: “My father.”
Pillay then asked: “Was the dog still warm when you ate it?”
The two responded “yes”.
It was at this point that their Legal Aid lawyer Samela Bula broke down and cried.
She asked for a short adjournment to compose herself.
Although Krull is the complainant in the case he was not in court yesterday.
He did not respond to voice calls or text messages sent to him for comment either.
However, late yesterday the Dispatch received a call from a man claiming to be his brother, Frank Krull.
He said the family was trying under difficult circumstances to protect the nature reserve.
He alleged that about 30 rhinos had been poached from the reserve in “the last year or two”.
“A kudu was killed last week. Why did not report about that?”
Frank said his brother had legal representation and would not be commenting to the Dispatch.
“You must be careful of making statements because you are now being watched,” he said.
When court resumed, Pillay asked prosecutor Wesley Peter-George if he was aware of the dog-eating incident, to which he responded: “The information is not in the docket.”
Bula asked for the information to be added to the docket for the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to deliberate on.
Peter-George said the decision whether to prosecute Folokwe and Dyantyi rested with the DPP.
He did not oppose the two being released on a warning.
Pillay said the accused should liaise with their attorney if they needed tests conducted on them.
She postponed the case to September 13 for further investigation and the DPP’s decision.
“I hope when we come back next month, you would have found out what the station commander of Komgha did about this information of the accused being fed a dog,” Pillay said to the prosecutor. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos