Murder accused commits suicide
One of the four men accused of the murder of Mr Riaan van den Berg, Mr Collen Shongwe, has hanged himself.
MALALANE – One of the four men accused of the murder of Mr Riaan van den Berg, Mr Collen Shongwe, has hanged himself.
Shongwe’s family informed the police of his death but details were sketchy. The other three accused, Mr Bonginkosi
Mnisi, Mr Sidney Mabaso and Mr Bheki Mcina, appeared in the local Periodic Court last Wednesday.
The court was told that one of the accused had died. No death certificate was presented to the court by a next of kin but the state prosecutor assured the magistrate that the state had undertaken the responsibility of going through the processes to ensure the necessary documentation was presented.
According to the prosecutor, Van den Berg’s docket had been sent to Pretoria for evaluation, as it was a possible High Court case. The docket was returned with additional enquiries, which would be addressed by the investigating officer and then returned to Pretoria.
The case was postponed to January 7.
According to WO Leonard Bembe, the family of the deceased informed him that the suspect had committed suicide. He said, “It was alleged that the suspect hanged himself, the details of the hanging have, however, not yet been revealed. We are currently awaiting the death report and
certificate.”
Three suspects each received bail of R1 500 during their last court appearance, while a fourth accused was remanded in police custody.
According to the magistrate, they had been granted bail under two conditions, namely to be present at every court hearing set from here onwards, and to report to Matsulu Police Station twice a week. “If this is not complied with, your bail will be revoked with immediate effect,” the
magistrate said.
On May 30 Van den Berg’s body was found with the arms and legs bound together in his farm homestead.
