Kimberley - A key state witness and one of the co-accused in the cash-in-transit robbery at K&B Supermarket in November has been shot dead, causing further delays in a case that has already been postponed on several occasions.
On Tuesday six of the nine men accused of robbing a G4s Security vehicle in Beaconsfield last year made a brief appearance in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court where their case was postponed again until the end of August for further investigation.
However, due to new developments in the case, including the death of Molefi Jingoes, 42, who was gunned down in Bloemfontein last on June 19, the names of the accused can now be made public after Magistrate Benjamin September lifted a court order preventing this on Tuesday morning as an outstanding identity parade never took place.
The accused, who were arrested shortly after the incident, are Modisaotsile Diseko, 38, Jones Mashingo, 47, Thabisho Ramabusha, 27, Seikanyo Monyama, 41, and Bongani Nomtsheke, 29.
Charges against Jingoes, who was the sixth accused who turned state witness, were scrapped.
Diseko, Ramubusa and Nomtshebe also applied for legal aid on Tuesday after their legal representative withdrew himself from the case.
More recent arrests further contributed to the state’s legal representative Quinton Hollander’s request for a postponement. Earlier this month three additional suspects were arrested and more arrests are expected.
Ezekiel Sampi, 29, and Mereki Ishmael Kgosimere, 30, were both arrested on June 15 and appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court two days later on charges of armed robbery while their case postponed to this Friday for bail application.
Seth Mthuthuzeli Huhu, 29, was arrested on June 11 and appeared in court on charges of armed robbery and for the possession of an illegal firearm found at his premises. He appeared with five of his co-accused on Tuesday.
Following these three additional arrests, Hollander pointed out that the police now had a fair amount of new information that needed to be processed.
He said that while DNA evidence had linked the first five accused to the scene, the results of samples sent away regarding Sampi, Kgosimere and Huhu would still be outstanding for several weeks.
“With regards to these new developments, I do not think the request (for a postponement) is unreasonable as bail has been denied and the accused have been linked the scene by DNA,” September said on Tuesday.
During an earlier request for postponement, September was critical of investigators in the case for delaying the process by failing to coordinate and identity parade.
“This is a sensitive matter that must be prioritised,” he said.
Hawks spokesperson, Captain Philani Nkwalase, on Tuesday said that the priority crime investigation unit was not willing to comment on Jingoes’ death.
“We are not at liberty to comment on the circumstances surrounding his death as the matter is at court and further investigation is ongoing,” he said.
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