ACORNHOEK – All the suspects involved in the “house of horrors” where people were apparently tortured for bogus crimes, are set to appear in court next month.
According to Mpumalanga police Sgt Gerald Sedibe, all 17 accused will appear in the Acornhoek Magistrate Court on September 15.
Last month, the leader of BRA, Mr Delta Mokoena, handed himself over to the police after police held a manhunt for him.
Nine were granted R1000 bail each but the other eight co-accused, including Mokoena, were denied bail and would remain in custody.
Mokoena had a string of cases related to vigilantism and intimidation.
Last year, Mokoena was sentenced by the same court to three years’ jail for intimidation. He was granted leave to appeal his sentence.
Mokoena also faced separate cases involving arson and kidnapping when he allegedly accused an older man of witchcraft and then apparently attempted to burn him alive.
The group now is accused of kidnapping suspected criminals, subjecting them to a “kangaroo court”, and assaulting them.
Police said six of their victims, who were placed in a witness protection programme, told how they were taken to several places and beaten.
Their assailants reportedly operated from an unoccupied Agricultural department building.
Some residents in the area apparently reported crimes to the group rather than to the police.
The BRA won 1.2 percent of the vote in Mpumalanga during the May general elections. The party has one secure seat in the provincial legislature.
