Cape Town – The Justice Department is considering increasing the security detail for the magistrate who was wounded in a shooting in Mfuleni at the weekend which claimed the life of a police officer.
Magistrate Abram Mashala was in the vicinity of a car wash when assailants opened fire in Taurmaline Street in the Bardale Informal Settlement.
On Monday, the bail application of murder-accused Zane Killian’s co-accused, Nafiz Modack, Jacques Cronje, Ashley Tabisher and Ricardo Morgan, had to be postponed to May 24 due to Mashala’s unavailability.
Department of Justice and Correctional Development’s spokesperson Steve Mahlangu said the matter was receiving urgent attention.
“The department can confirm, according to information at our disposal, that an incident occurred in which Magistrate Mashala was shot at and injured. The incident, which was confirmed by SAPS, resulted in the unfortunate fatal shooting of a member of Delft SAPS Police Station and the injury of her grandson. The incident is receiving urgent attention from SAPS.
“The department is assessing the possibility of additional security for Magistrate Mashala,” said Mahlangu.
According to information, the magistrate was shot in his buttocks and is receiving medical attention.
Meanwhile, Killian will have to wait a while longer to hear if he will be freed after the court postponed the bail appeal judgment hearing for his urgent application yesterday at the Western Cape High Court.
Killian, who had been linked to the attempted murder of attorney William Booth and murder of Anti-Gang Unit detective Charl Kinnear after it emerged that he had pinged the top cop’s cellphone on several occasions in days leading up to his murder, sought for the High Court to grant an appeal against his bail application which was denied in the lower court last year.
Judgment in the matter is set to be shared with Killian’s counsel via email on Monday, said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila. Killian remains in custody.
Killian, Modack, Cronje, Tabisher and Morgan face a myriad of charges including murder, attempted murder, intimidation, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering, corruption charges, being in contravention of the Proceeds of Crime Act, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to acquire an explosive and conspiring to have in his possession or under his control, explosives.
Last week Friday, Morgan was released on R50 000 bail under house arrest conditions at his Goodwood home.
Cape Times