Johannesburg - Former Limpopo ANC Youth League secretary Jacob Lebogo pleaded on Tuesday with the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court to release him on bail immediately so he can take care of his sex shop.
But it appeared his petitioning was not good enough. Magistrate Anne van der Merwe ordered that he remain in custody until Thursday for a formal bail application.
Lebogo told the court that while his Pleasure Parlour adult shop had seven employees, it depended on him for survival.
“I am solely responsible for the stock and the administration,” Lebogo said in an affidavit read out by his lawyer, Tumi Mokoena.
He said he established the sex store after the ANC Limpopo branch, which he had led, was disbanded last year.
The flamboyant politician was on Tuesday formally charged for attempting to murder Boy Mamabolo, the ANC local branch leader and Julius Malema’s political foe.
Mamabolo was shot in the chest on Sunday night at a Metro FM gig at Waterland in Polokwane.
Three other men were injured in the shooting. Two were shot in the leg while the third sustained a bullet graze.
It emerged in court that charges relating to their injuries were still to be formally lodged.
The court also heard that Mamabolo remained in the intensive care unit at Limpopo Medi-Clinic.
Lebogo handed himself over to the police at 3am on Tuesday after being on the run since Sunday night.
He appeared in court a few hours later.
“I intend to plead not guilty to the charges because I was defending myself on the night of the shooting,” Lebogo said.
He did not elaborate on how his life was threatened.
The State made an application to have his bail hearing postponed because it has yet to profile him. This included verifying whether he had pending cases or previous convictions and to determine whether he was a flight risk.
Prosecutor advocate Jacky Mabasa also argued that Lebogo should not jump the queue.
“There are other accused (people) who are in custody, they also deserve to have their bail cases heard,” Mabasa said.
But Lebogo’s lawyer said his bail application had nothing to do with others’ pending bail applications.
Mokoena told the court that the State had earlier agreed not to oppose bail, but had reneged on its promise at the 11th hour. Mabasa said the decision to change its previous position came from a senior prosecutor.
Mokoena told the court that the police had known of Lebogo’s whereabouts.
The Star