Charl Bezuidenhout

Charl Bezuidenhout (1983 - 2002)

Brief overview:

Charl (19), was shot dead by a group of armed men in front of Baduma General Dealer in Ramokgopa, Limpopo, on Thursday 4th April 2002. He was shot in the head and stomach and passed away at the scene.

He was doing collections on behalf of a local flour distributor when the incident happened shortly after collecting R32,000 in cash and cheques worth R22,000.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
  • Charl is survived by his parents, Piet and Annette van Giyani, and his brother, Theo.
• Funeral/Memorial
  • He was buried on Thursday 11th April at 11h00 at the NG Kerk Louis Trichardt congregation.
• The Street/Suburb
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
  • The assailants fled with the cash and cheques.
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
  • According to police spokesperson, Capt. Ailwei Mushavhanamadi two men, Richard Rakgate (21) and Richard Kganaga (41), were arrested on the Saturday in Ramokgopa, and a further two suspects, Frans Malisa (20) and Isac Motaung (21), were arrested on Sunday, also on Ramokgopa. A large sum of money was recovered. The police also found four unlicensed handguns, which included a 9mm, 7.65, .38 and .22.
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • All four appeared in the Sekgosese Magistrate's Court on Monday 8th April 2002 on charges of armed robbery and murder. They were refused bail and their case was adjourned until May 9the 2002.
  • On 28th May 2003, two of the accused in the case, Selaelo Richard Kganaga (34) from Matoks and Sello Frans Mokou (19) from Tembisa, were each sentenced to life imprisonment in the Polokwane high court, by Judge Willem van der Merwe. In addition, both were sentenced to a further 15 years' imprisonment on the charge of aggravated robbery, seven years' imprisonment on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and one year's imprisonment on the charge of unlawful possession of ammunition.
  • Kganaga was also sentenced to two years in prison on a charge of firearms theft. The third accused, Richard Rakgate (25) from Matoks, was acquitted of all charges, as he could not be directly linked to the murder.

Additional Biographical Information:

Charl was an excellent sportsman and achieved many awards. He also acted as vice-head boy (sports) and boarding house head boy in his last year.

• Identity Number : 8302075073082
• Official cause of death : gunshot abdomen and neck

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.is/fiuwY
• https://archive.is/vNpv6
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000194460237830
• https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000194460351831