Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Nyalungu was remanded in custody when he appeared in the Mkhuhlu Magistrate’s Court this morning, October 30.

He was expecting to hear the judgment on his bail application he had made on October 18.

The matter was posponed to Friday, November 1, for the judgment to be delivered, as the presiding magistrate over the bail matter had another case in Bushbuckridge Magistrate’s Court to preside over.

A visibly frustrated Nyalungu instructed his lawyer, Bheki Shilubane, to ask the court to make sure that there was no further postponements on Friday. “My instructions from my client are that I humbly request this respected court to ensure that the judgment is delivered on Friday without any further postponements,” Shilubane told the court.

The magistrate assured the defence that the magistrate presiding over Nyalungu’s bail application would be present on Friday.

Nyalungu was arrested on October 15 after the police’s National Intervention Unit and the Mpumalanga Hawks raided his workshop in Mkhuhlu. They found two sticks of dynamite, two detonators, two chords and three rounds of 458 rifle ammunition. The explosives are said to be popular for ATM bombings and cash-in-transit heists.

Following his arrest, Nyalungu spent a night behind bars before he briefly appeared in the Mkhuhlu Magistrate’s court on October 16.
He was then remanded in custody pending his next court appearance on October 18, when he formally applied for bail.

It was then that the presiding officer who heard the bail application postponed the matter to today, October 30, for judgment, while Nyalungu remained in custody.

The State has opposed this bail, saying Nyalungu was likely to commit similar offences if released.

Nyalungu’s reasons for the bail application included health issues, him needing to care for his children, his employees being able to draw salaries, and that he had always attended court without fail in many of the other cases he has faced.

As always, the court was filled to capacity during Nyalungu’s appearance.

Meanwhile, the paper can reveal that Nyalungu is expected to appear in the Hoedspruit Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo on a different case tomorrow, October 31. This is one of Nyalungu’s many other cases he is facing in various courts, including the Mbombela High Court, Nelspruit Regional Court, Hazyview Magistrate’s Court and Skukuza Regional Court, among others.

He is facing a money laundering charge in the Hoedspruit court and was released on R10 000 bail by the Naphuno Magistrate’s Court in Lenyenye outside Tzaneen on this matter late last year.

Other charges that Nyalungu is facing in other courts include rhino poaching, murder, racketeering, theft, tax evasion, money laundering and corruption.

Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Nyalungu due in Mkhuhlu court for bail judgment 

Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Nyalungu is expected to appear in the Mkhuhlu Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, October 30, for his bail judgment.

He previously appeared in the fully packed court on October 18, when he applied for bail with the assistance of his legal representative, Bheki Shilubane.

@lowvelder

#josephnyalungu was once again arrested yesterday, Tuesday, October 15. He appeard in court today, but has been remanded in custody. ‘Big Joe’ was caught with explosives commonly used in the commission of cash-in-transit heists. #kingpin #rhino #poaching #cour

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

Nyalungu was arrested after the National Intervention Unit and the Mpumalanga Hawks acted on a search warrant to raid his workshop in Mkhuhlu on October 15. There they allegedly found two sticks of dynamite, two detonators, two chords and three rounds of 458 rifle ammunition.

ALSO READ: Mkhuhlu court remands Big Joe in custody until bail judgment

These explosives are said to be famous for use in ATM bombings and cash-in-transit heists.

During his appearance, Nyalungu cited his health issues, having to care for his four children and being an employer for several people in Mkhuhlu, as reasons to be granted bail. He also pointed out that he had stayed in the Mkhuhlu/Hazyview area for his entire life and had attended court without fail in all his other cases.

@lowvelder

Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Nyalungu was remanded in custody until October 30 for judgment on his bail application. Nyalungu appeared in the Mkhuhlu Magistrate’s Court today, October 18, after the Hawks had arrested him for being in possession of explosives and ammunition at his workshop in Mkhuhlu on October 15. Nyalungu was not asked to plead to these charges. However, the State opposed his bail application based on the allegations that he had similar cases pending, and that he had allegedly committed the same crime he was released on bail for. The State also argued that he would commit the same crime if he is released. His defence, however, told the court that Nyalungu must be released as he is not a threat to the community. He claimed Nyalungu also has a chronic disease he is taking medication for. Lastly, there are a lot of employees who are depending on him for their salaries. He further told the court that when Nyalungu was arrested in 2012, the police beat him up, damaging his left eye. He claims his vision is blurred and this makes reading difficult. He said Nyalungu had never skipped any court appearance in any of his previous cases and is therefore not a flight risk. Nyalungu had allegedly been found in possession of two sticks of dynamite, two detonators, two chords and three rounds of 458 ammunition. The explosives are said to be famous for their use in ATM bombings and cash-in-transit heists. The State mentioned during his appearance that it still needed to establish if Nyalungu had previous convictions before he could apply for bail. He was flanked by his wife, relatives and friends during his appearance. The paper spoke to Nyalungu’s wife, Dudu, who insisted her husband’s latest arrest was a setup. “If you are a cop, you can’t claim to have found anything illegal at somebody’s place without that person physically being present,” she said. Joseph recently spent nearly half a year in a Limpopo prison after being arrested by the Hoedspruit police following a high-speed car chase. He was charged with money laundering and was granted R10 000 by the Naphuno Magistrate’s Court in Lenyenye outside Tzaneen. Over the years, Joseph has been in and out of jail for cases such as rhino poaching, murder, racketeering, theft, tax evasion, money laundering, corruption and others. Millions of rands believed to be the proceeds of crime were confiscated from Joseph’s various residences more than 10 years ago. After his arrests, a number of police officers involved in his cases allegedly relocated from the Lowveld out of fear. Joseph is loved by the community in Mhkuhlu. Many see him as a Good Samaritan who has assisted many poor souls in the past. > Video: Riot Hlatshwayo #BigJoe #Court #Mkhulu #Magistrate #BigJoe #Court #Mkhulu #Magistrate #rhino #bigjoe #nyalungu #bail #bailhearing

♬ original sound – Lowveld Media

The State opposed his bail application based on allegations that he had similar pending cases and that he would possibly commit further crimes if he were released.

ALSO READ: Big Joe arrested for possession of explosives

The Hawks’ investigating officer, Captain Martin Mandla Mlotshwa, told the court that Nyalungu was not a good candidate for bail, because he continued committing crimes even when he had been out on bail in other cases.

ALSO READ:  Shocking details of alleged police involvement in rhino poaching

Nyalungu was out on R10 000 bail at the time of his arrest. It had been granted by the Naphuno Magistrate’s Court in Lenyenye outside Tzaneen, Limpopo, late last year. He spent almost half a year behind bars after being arrested in Hoedspruit for alleged money laundering.

Over the years, Nyalungu has appeared in various courts, including the Mbombela High Court and the Skukuza Magistrate’s Court, where he faced charges such as rhino poaching, murder, racketeering, theft, tax evasion, money laundering, corruption and others.