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Lichtenburg - The case against a gunman accused of opening fire on a group of protesters and killing a 15-year-old boy in the farming town of Lichtenburg has been postponed by the town's magistrate's court as the accused's cancer diagnosis had made it difficult for him to attend the proceedings.
Jaco du Plooy, 46, faces a charge of murder for the death of teenager Joseph Tshukudu and two counts of attempted murder for wounding two others in the incident, in which he claims he was protecting his life and the lives of his workers.
Frank Lesenyego, the regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority in the North West, told News24 that the director of public prosecutions requested Du Plooy and his legal counsel to provide a medical certificate and an affidavit proving that the accused was not medically fit.
READ: Man who allegedly killed Lichtenburg teen granted bail
Lesenyego said that Du Plooy was suffering from lung cancer, and he could not guarantee that he would be at his next appearance.
"I cannot confirm if he will physically be in court in April as that is dependent on how he feels at the time. From my understanding, he is due to undergo chemotherapy," Lesenyego said.
Du Plooy said that he and his workers were attacked on Boikhutso Road by a violent group he believed intended to kill them. He claimed that the minor was part of the crowd.
"They had stones and rocks as they were attacking us," he explained in an affidavit read out in court in October last year.
Du Plooy said he took out his firearm and fired several shots to defend himself.
The case was postponed to April 26.
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