MBOMBELA – A few cases that elicited great public interest were recently on the court rolls at the local Magistrate’s Court.
• The five men accused of poaching Sabi, a sub-adult rhino, in his boma at Care for Wild Africa, will be back in court on December 3. Sabi was shot at the rehabilitation centre where he was kept after surviving his mother’s poaching at Sabie Sands in August 2014. Messrs Thokozane Jabulane Ngwenya, Kenneth Alex Mthombothi, Promise Mandla Lamula, Mthobisi Lenox Ngwenyama and Russel Mokoena were charged with his brutal killing shortly after.
• The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier accused of poaching will return to court in November. Mr Boet Mashego and his co-accused, Mr Micheal Sithole, stand accused of having a rhino in September 2010. This followed after they were found close to a carcass at 03:45. They deny the allegation and previously said they were innocently looking for herbs and cattle.
• Mr Sam Ngubane, a director of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, will appear in court on corruption charges on January 27 next year. He was charged along with his wife, Ms Angel Ngubane and two businessmen, Mr Edwin Mkhabela and Mr Cleopas Mahlalela. It is alleged that the four conspired to have a tender awarded to Mkhabela and Mahlalela’s company, who in turn gave the Ngubanes a seaside apartment worth R1,5 million.
• A local man was recently charged with housebreaking, intimidation, crimen iniuria and committing a sexual offence after an incident at the complainant’s home. What surprised many was that the man was released on a warning instead of being asked to pay bail. His next court appearance will be on November 23. Lowvelder is obliged to withhold his identity as he has not pleaded on the charges against him, including one of a sexual nature.
• Community members were outraged when the Nelspruit Regional Court declared
Mr Francois Steynberg innocent. He was arrested on December 6, 2008 after someone tried to slice a seven-year-old girl’s throat open with a pair of scissors. Steynberg, who was under the influence of alcohol and cannabis that night, said he couldn’t remember what had happened and could therefore not be guilty of committing such a crime. After the court ruled in favour of his innocence, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed its intention to appeal the case’s outcome. Its application is still in the process.
• Johan Heunis who shot Ms Michelle Curgenven in her Steiltes home’s garage in June 2013, will return to court on November 23. He was found guilty of culpable homicide in the local Circuit High Court after explaining that her death was an accident.
• Frans Mokoena, who allegedly raped and killed beloved veterinarian Dr Rensia de Wet, will be back in court on October 28. Police found De Wet’s body with numerous stab wounds in her home on Nottingh Hill Equestrian Estate on December 9 last year. Mokoena has since been connected to similar crimes, including the rape and robbery of a woman in Mataffin in December last year.
• Two parents of Barberton who stand accused of possessing child pornography will appear in the Nelspruit Regional Court again on November 17. Lowvelder previously reported that the two were trying to pawn their cellphone at Cash Converters when the man who was assisting them, allegedly found graphic pictures of their seven-year-old daughter on the phone.
• Messrs Gideon Mtshali, Sizwe Leonard Malatjie, Selby Khoza and Velly William Zwane will appear in court again on March 10 next year. They were apprehended in 2014 after 112 rhino horns had been stolen from a safe at the MTPA offices in April 2014. Mtshali and Malatjie were arrested on June 6 and 7, while Khoza was taken into custody on June 23 in Tshwane. Zwane handed himself over to the police on July 2.
• Wade Williams, who pleaded guilty to stealing millions from the luxurious Londolozi Game Reserve on April 5, will return to court on November 10. He also pleaded guilty to various other charges including the attempted murder of his co-worker, Mr Dave Dampier.
