Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Dimbaza magistrate, Mhlanga Bala, is convinced the men charged with the murder of two University of Fort Hare employees will “eliminate” State witnesses and cause delays to the trial, if released on bail.
On Monday, Bala denied bail to Sicelo Mbulawa, Mthobisi Khanyile and Mthobisi Dlamini.
The trio, together with Bongani Peter and Wanini Khuza, – who abandoned their bail bid – stand accused of killing University of Fort Hare fleet manager Petrus Roets and Mboneli Vesele, the bodyguard of vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu.
Buhlungu’s bodyguard of five years, Vesele, was killed on 6 January when gunfire rained down on the vice-chancellor’s vehicle at his residence in Alice in January.
Buhlungu was not in the vehicle, and was unharmed, but had to be taken to a safe house.
On 19 May last year, Roets was shot dead near his home in Gonubie while on his way home from the Alice campus.
Bala noted that Dlamini, who is out on parole, had 13 previous convictions, ranging from theft to housebreaking, and four pending cases for possession of drugs and car theft.
He said it was likely that Dlamini breached all his parole conditions by finding himself on the wrong side of the law again.
Mbulawa had told the court he was a final year LLB student and his incarceration would disturb his studies when he was just about to graduate.
Khanyile told the court his absence from his three minor children, who live with their unemployed mothers in Umlazi and Amanzimtoti, would cause unimaginable long-term effects.
But Bala said what had been submitted by the applicants as exceptional circumstances could not pass the test.
“I am, therefore, not persuaded that there are exceptional circumstances that permit the applicants to be released on bail or that the State’s case is weak,” he said.
Bala added there was evidence the applicants would make it difficult for the case to be finalised, by interfering with witnesses.
The five face a string of charges, including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, three counts of unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful possession of ammunition, fraud, kidnapping, and two counts of reckless discharge of a firearm.
The case has been postponed to 21 August 2023 for further investigation.
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