Coligny, South Africa

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Coligny
Coligny hoofstraat.jpg
Street in Coligny
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Coligny
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Coligny
Coordinates: 26°20′S26°19′E / 26.333°S 26.317°E / -26.333; 26.317
Country South Africa
Province North West
District Ngaka Modiri Molema
Municipality Ditsobotla
Area
[1]
 • Total4.36 km2 (1.68 sq mi)
Population
 (2011) [1]
 • Total2,271
 • Density520/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
[1]
 •  Black African 43.2%
 •  Coloured 3.4%
 •  Indian/Asian 1.9%
 •  White 49.8%
 • Other1.7%
First languages (2011)
[1]
 •  Afrikaans 50.6%
 •  Tswana 34.6%
 •  English 6.6%
 •  Xhosa 1.4%
 • Other6.8%
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)
2725
PO box
2725
Area code 018

Coligny is a town in North West Province, South Africa, located adjacent to the railway line between Lichtenburg and Johannesburg. It is approximately 27 kilometers (17 miles) southeast of Lichtenburg and is known for its maize farming.

Contents

History

Originally named Treurfontein (Afrikaans : spring of sadness), the town was renamed Coligny on 23 July 1923. The new name honored Gaspard de Coligny, a Huguenot leader who died in the Massacre of St Bartholomew in 1572. [2] Coligny has also been a site of sporadic diamond mining activities.

Gerdau

The Concordia Congregation, also known as the Gerdau Congregation after the origin of its first missionary, was established in 1905 on the farm Hakbosvlaakte, predating the town of Coligny. The church operated the Gerdauer Gemeinde-Schule, a German-language school, for 53 years. [3] Supported by the German government, the school provided education from preschool through grade 7. In 1965, the school had two teachers and thirty students. [4]

Laerskool Coligny

Laerskool Coligny, established in 1968, currently has approximately 200 students. The school employs eight teachers, including two vice principals and one principal. It provides education from preschool through grade 7, with Afrikaans as the medium of instruction.

2017 rioting and the Coligny sunflower case

On 25 April 2017, Coligny and nearby Lichtenburg experienced extensive rioting following the death of Matlhomola Jonas Moshoeu / Mosweu (15) from the Scotland informal settlement in Tlhabologang. He was believed to have died at the hands of two white farm managers [5] at Rietvlei farm. The resulting violent protests, looting, and petrol bombing [6] led to the destruction of property and local businesses, predominantly owned by whites, foreigners, and other minorities. [7] Rian Malan, in an investigation into the causes of the rioting, stated that the unrest was further incited at Moshoeu's funeral by representatives of the SADTU and SANCO trade unions. [7]

On 20 April 2017, two Afrikaner men, Doorewaard and Schutte, encountered Matlhomola Jonas Moshoeu and another boy carrying five stolen sunflower heads. The boys ran away, abandoning the sunflower heads. Moshoeu was apprehended by the farm managers and placed in the back of their pickup truck. While en route to the Coligny police station, approximately 3 km from town, [8] Moshoeu reportedly disappeared from the truck's load bed, with the men claiming he had jumped off. Upon returning, they found Moshoeu critically injured on the road. A passerby was asked to look after him while the men proceeded to the police station to summon an ambulance. [9] Moshoeu later died of his injuries on the way to a hospital in Lichtenburg. [10]

On 24 April 2017, it was decided to charge the farm managers with murder. They turned themselves in to the police on 25 April and were charged and requested to hand over the pickup truck involved in the incident. [9] They appeared before a magistrate court on 28 April 2017. Magistrate Mattheus van Loggerenberg, a Coligny resident, recused himself from the case, citing concerns for his safety and that of his family. [11] The case was postponed to 9 May 2017 for a formal bail application. Further incidents of violence occurred after the two co-accused were released on bail, including the torching of a farmhouse, an attack on a photographer, and confrontations between protesters and farmers. [8] Judge Ronald Hendricks of the High Court in Mahikeng [12] sentenced the two men, Doorewaard and Schutte, to 18 and 23 years respectively, following the acceptance of testimony from the state witness, Mr. Pakisi. [9]

However, on appeal, the men's conviction was overturned. The testimony of Mr. Pakisi, the sole evidence relied upon by the State, was deemed inconsistent and unreliable. [13] No cartridge casings were found at the locations where Pakisi claimed he was shot at, and his timeline of events could not be reconciled with known times. The investigation failed to find or collect blood stains or samples in the vehicle, at any location where Moshoeu was allegedly assaulted, or on the jersey Pakisi reportedly used to wipe away Moshoeu's blood. The court found that the State did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, leading to the acquittal of Doorewaard and Schutte [14] after they had spent 13 months in jail. AfriForum funded the appeal costs, and its private prosecution unit provided support in the case investigation. [15] In 2019, the Moshoeu family was donated a new house in Verdoorn Park, Coligny, by Gift of the Givers, on land donated by the Ditsobotla Local Municipality. [10]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Main Place Coligny". Census 2011.
  2. ↑ Raper, Peter E. (1987). Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Internet Archive. p. 122. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Concordia-Gerdau Congregation" (PDF). Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (N-T). Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Deutscher Bundestag 4. Wahlperiode Drucksache IV/3672". Bundestag (West Germany). 23 June 1965. Retrieved on 12 March 2016. p. 30.
  5. ↑ Corresondent (21 January 2019). "Coligny murder witness confesses to lying about teen thrown from bakkie - report". news24.com. News24. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Chabalala, Jeanette (28 June 2017). "'I don't own anything of my own' - Coligny woman who lost home in protests". news24.com. News24. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 Rian Malan (9 May 2017). "Coligny: The shape of things to come?". News24 . Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  8. 1 2 Montsho, Molaole (9 May 2017). "Fiery confrontations in Coligny". iol.co.za. IOL. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Ledwaba, A.J.A.; Molemela, J.J.A.; Ponnan, J.J.A. (27 November 2020). "Coligny case: The SCA judgment – The Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa Media Summary of Judgement Delivered". PoliticsWeb. politicsweb.co.za. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  10. 1 2 "A white house of hope and sorrow in Coligny". headtopics.com. Head Topics. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  11. ↑ Shenaaz, Jamal. "Safety fears see magistrate recused from farmers' 'killing' case in Coligny" . Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  12. ↑ Onishi, Norimitsu (6 March 2019). "White farmers jailed in South Africa for killing Black teen". phillytrib.com. The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Mitchley, Alex. "Coligny killing: Supreme Court of Appeal finds accused not guilty, overturns convictions". News24. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Sanco ontsteld oor vryspraak vir Coligny-twee". maroelamedia.co.za. Maroela Media. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "Coligny duo's murder appeal denied". headtopics.com. Head Topics. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
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