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Bloemfontein: The elephant tusk that has landed a Bloemfontein lawyer in trouble with the law belonged to one of his clients, alleged genital mutilator Peter Frederiksen.
Netwerk24 reported on Wednesday that the case against Marius Bruwer, 45, of Petrus Wesselsstraat, in Heuwelsig, was postponed in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court until the end of September.
Bruwer appeared on charges of possessing and transporting an elephant tusk without a valid permit.
He was allegedly caught with the tusk at a self-storage facility in Kwaggafontein, Bloemfontein. His lawyer, Nico Dreyer is expected to ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to drop the case.
Bruwer is representing Frederiksen, a Danish national, in his trial in the Bloemfontein High Court. This is expected to resume in August. According to a statement from Bruwer, Frederiksen was permitted to own and transport the tusk. Since Frederiksen was in custody, Bruwer transported the tooth as he had written authority to look after his client’s interests.
Frederiksen was arrested three years ago for transporting the same tusk without a permit. It weighs 27kg and is apparently worth about R70 000. He paid a fine of R2 500.
Green Scorpions’ advocate Antoinette Ferreira is the prosecutor in Bruwer’s matter. Frederiksen was arrested again on September 17, 2015, after 21 clitorises were found in the freezer of his home.
He faces 59 charges, including assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, possession of unregistered medicine and unlicensed firearms, distribution and possession of child pornography, conspiracy to murder, and bigamy. The conspiracy charge relates to the murder of his wife, Anna Matseliso Molise, 28.
She was shot four times outside her house in Maseru, Lesotho, on October 20, 2015. She would have been a key State witness in the case against her husband, the Hawks said at the time.
During previous court appearances, the State alleged that Frederiksen hired wheelchair-bound Motlatsi Moqeti, 31, to have Molise killed. He allegedly had contacts in the criminal underworld.
The charges against him were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Frederiksen is also charged with trying to bribe a State witness and providing false information to stay in South Africa.
In May, the Hawks seized more than 1 600 firearms, explosives and hand grenades from his gun shop in Bloemfontein. According to a police spokesperson, the firearms were confiscated on suspicion that Frederiksen might have used them in other crimes. There were no valid licences for about 75 firearms.