MBOMBELA – Mr Mthobisi Lenox Ngwenyama, who made headlines when he escaped from the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court in May, appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Thursday. He appeared as an accused in two more criminal cases that were postponed to July 9.
Lowvelder previously reported that Ngwenyama was one of five accused of poaching Sabi, a rhino calf, in his boma in Care for Wild Africa in 2014.
His four co-accused, Messrs Thokozane Jabulane Ngwenya, Kenneth Alex Mthombothi, Promise Mandla Lamula and Russel Mokoena have been released on bail. Their poaching trial was postponed earlier this month and will continue this week.
On Thursday, Ngwenyama made two appearances in court where he was charged with crimes apparently committed in KaBokweni between 2012 and 2014.
Mr Surprise Mthombothi, Lamula and Mr Thabo Maluka appeared in court alongside Ngwenyama when they were charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances. Ngwenyama and Maluka were then called to the accused dock separately as the former faces another charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances, whereas Maluka is on trial for the illegal possession of a firearm and the possession of stolen property.
On May 31, Lowvelder reported that Ngwenyama appeared in the Nelspruit and KaBokweni magistrate’s courts on the additional charges that were adduced to him after his escape. It is alleged that he killed a police officer who had been investigating him a week after he escaped from the local court building on May 13. The man was charged with the murder of Const Joseph Baloyi in KaBokweni and his court escape was addressed in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court, where he was charged with escaping from lawful custody. He will appear in KaBokweni’s court again on July 7 before the cases against him will continue in Mbombela two days later.
