Two connected cases of robbery and murder featured in the Nelspruit Regional Court last week.
Mr Thabang Mashaba (25) appeared on Thursday. He applied for bail, however, his application was denied by the state as he had also been accused of murder in another case. His co-accused had since died while committing another robbery.
State prosecutor Mr Micheal Mazibuko referred to the accused’s murder charge as a factor to be taken into account when considering Mashaba as a bail candidate.
The defence attorney, Mr Lucky Mngomezulu, argued that the suspect’s controlled behaviour during his bail period, which had been granted to him after he was accused of murder, proved that he was a suitable bail candidate. “My client has been released on bail in the past and he did not commit a crime then. Why would he commit a crime now? He has proved that he is a suitable bail candidate. After all, no witnesses have been harmed yet.”
Mazibuko countered his argument by confirming that the very reason for the accused’s presence was that he was arrested for committing a robbery while out on bail, pending the murder charge. The accused was then reminded of the absence of
Mr Sydwell Sedibe in the courtroom the previous Monday – after being released on bail, he was shot and killed while attempting to commit another armed robbery. Sedibe and Mashaba’s alleged criminal activities have been linked in the past – they appeared in court together on the murder charge, but their trials were separated.
Nevertheless, Mashaba will now have to face these charges on his own. His bail application was denied and he will appear
in the Regional Court for murder on
February 3. The date for the robbery hearing has yet to be confirmed.
