Bail judgement for Marchlands murder suspects tomorrow

Nkosinathi and William Yika together with Lucas Makua were arrested in connection with the Marchlands farm attack wherein Sue Howarth and her husband Robert Lynn were attacked on their farmstead in February.

Robert was tortured with a blow-torch and the couple were dumped in a mountainous area between Belfast and Stoffberg, an estimated 50 km from their house, where they were later discovered by a passersby.

Sue succumbed to her wounds whilst Robert was treated in hospital and later discharged. He still has a bullet lodged in his neck that doctors deem to dangerous to remove.

The three accused initially abandoned their bail application in the Belfast Magistrate Court but recently brought an application in Machadodorp Magistrate Court.

Since the initial breakthrough when five suspects were arrested of which three were eventually charged, the investigation was dealt a massive blow when the docket was destroyed in a fire at the Dullstroom Detective unit. In the process of recompiling the docket, it came to light that signed confessions by two of the three suspects were destroyed.

It was also revealed that key witnesses, like the men who discovered the Marchlands couple next to the road, have never been interviewed.

Friends of Robert Lynn, who say that he might be the only credible piece of evidence left, fear for his safety, should the suspects be granted bail.

They have requested concerned members of the community to join them in protesting in front of the Dullstroom Magistrate Court, where bail judgement will be given on Tuesday 18 July.