WEDNESDAY, 3.30PM
THE Cape High Court on Wednesday found Jan van der Westhuizen, Clifton Barnard and Abraham Myburgh guilty on four counts of murder, two of attempted murder, three counts of sabotage, and various other counts of illegal possession of explosives and firearms. The convictions relate to the Christmas Eve 1996 bomb blast at a Worcester supermarket, which killed a woman and three children and injured 67 people.
Judge Hannes Fagan said Barnard and Myburgh are clearly experts in explosives, and the assistance they gave in the manufacture of the bombs and explosives rendered them as guilty of murder as Van der Westhuizen. He said he accepted in full the testimony of two unnamed youths who gave details of the manufacture of the bombs by Barnard and Myburgh. He also declared the youths indemnified against all liability — they had earlier been warned of complicity in the crime.
Defence lawyers Harry Prinsloo and Louiza van der Walt will present their argument in mitigation of sentence on Thursday.
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