The Pretoria North District Court denied bail to Sonwabo Malgas (38) from Mdatsane, Eastern Cape, while his co-accused Hapson Zukuyumo (35) originally from Zimbabwe abandoned his bail application. The pair is facing charges of possession of the stolen property and illegal mining. Zukuyumo further faces a charge of being illegal in the country.
The Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates’ Court postponed a case against four suspects charged with the murder of Sam Mbatha (24) to 08 April 2022 for the Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) decision. The state will await the DPP’s authorisation of transferring the case to the High Court of South Africa; North West Division, owing to the serious nature of the offence committed.
The Municipal Manager of Thulamela Local Municipality, Hlengani Emanuel Maluleke (52) and the former mayor of Thulamela, Avhashoni Stephen Tshifhango (49) appeared in Thohoyandou Magistrates' Court. The two were arrested on allegations of corruption and maladministration in connection with the looting of the Venda Building Society (VBS) Mutual Bank.
The Mogwase Regional Court postponed the case against Oupa Nkele(41) to 02 March 2022 for Legal Aid representation and further investigations. He is charged with rape and attempted murder. Following the case being transferred to the regional court, Nkele applied for a new Legal Aid representation and an attorney will be appointed for him before the next court appearance. He is currently out on R1000 bail and he was warned to avail himself in all court appearances until the matter is concluded.
Daniel Smit appeared at the Klawer Magistrates' Court this morning, in connection with the murder of Jerobejin van Wyk (13). He is charged with murder, kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and defeating the ends of justice.
The case has been postponed until 26 April 2022, for further investigation. The defense has indicated that the accused does not intend to apply for bail, however, the State will oppose the bail application in case the accused changes his mind.
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The Qumbu Regional Court sentenced Katiso Mpita (31) to life imprisonment for raping his late father’s 51-year-old former girlfriend. The court convicted and sentenced the rapist to life imprisonment for the rape and 12 months for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. An order was made for the sentences to run concurrently.
The Pietermaritzburg High Court sentenced Nkanyiso Nzama, to an effective 25 years imprisonment for the murders and attempted murders he committed in Kranskop in March 2019. Nzama was also convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Constable Thandoluhle Mhlongo and his friend Mazwi Zuke were in the Kranskop area when they were shot at by Nzama and others, a shootout between the two groups ensued, and Mhlongo died at the scene while Zuke died in hospital.
The Acting Director of National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape, Advocate Nicolette Bell, welcomed the decision of Cape Town Regional Court to deny Zandile Christmas Mafe bail. Adv Bell said: “This is a first step in the right direction of ensuring that we get justice. The next step is to ensure that we prove our case against the accused beyond any reasonable doubt.