Court to decide on assault case against farm manager

Johannesburg - The Worcester Magistrate's Court is expected to decide on Thursday whether prosecutors had a strong enough case against a farm manager on trial for assaulting a farmworker's son in a wine cellar, The Star reported.

Wilhelm "Dozi" Treurnicht's defence lawyer Pieter Botha had lodged an application for his client's discharge and acquittal.

Treurnicht, the manager of Rietvallei Wine Estate in Robertson, is accused of assaulting Flippie Engelbrecht on 25 January 2008 when he allegedly rammed Engelbrecht's head against a wine tank and kicked him repeatedly in the head.

Engelbrecht was 13-years-old at the time, the newspaper reported.

Botha argued that the evidence of six of eight State witnesses was unreliable and "very poor".

He said some of the witnesses testified that Treurnicht had received a threatening phone call which he believed came from Engelbrecht.

"It gives a reason as to why an assault would've taken place."

A second accused, Rietvallei farm owner Johnny Burger, committed suicide in September last year.