Cape Town - Three of the four men arrested after a fatal shoot-out following a shop robbery in Surrey Estate on Monday night appeared in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Andile Mafanga, 34, and Thobela Frans, 39, from Khayelitsha, and Delft resident Unathi Magadla, 38, were arrested after trying to flee with R22 000 they had allegedly stolen from Primrose Market on the corner of Ruimte and Orion Roads on Monday night.
Thabiso Mahilihili, 34, from Khayelitsha, was arrested after being shot in the foot. He is currently under police guard at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Mafanga, Frans, Magadla and Mahilihili face charges of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
State prosecutor Rashied Daniels requested that the matter be dealt with in Mahilihili’s absence.
Two other men allegedly involved in the robbery were shot dead, and a woman and a policeman were critically injured.
Daniels said the merits of the case include that on Monday, Primrose Market was robbed by a group of men armed with an R5 rifle and 9mm handguns, and that the men held up the supermarket and stole R22 000 in cash before fleeing.
He said the group arrived in several vehicles, one of which was hijacked in May.
A “special police unit” had been tracking the vehicle on the night, Daniels said.
“Once outside, a shoot-out with police ensued and two other men allegedly involved in the robbery were shot dead, and a woman and a policeman were critically injured. One other suspect, accused four, was shot and injured,” Daniels said.
He said other suspects escaped after hijacking a BMW outside the shop and using “other vehicles”.
Daniels said the State still needed to obtain a number of statements, ballistic and medical reports and additional evidence.
He asked Magistrate Keith le Keur to postpone the matter for the State to request additional information.
Le Keur postponed the case to June 17 “to obtain full bail information and to give the accused time to appoint an attorney”.
Cape Times