The identity parade of five suspects currently charged has not yet taken place.
The case linked to the deadly KwaNoxolo tavern mass shooting in Bekkersdal has been postponed as the police hunt for five suspects.
Five men, believed to be illegal miners from Lesotho, appeared in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
This follows their first court appearance on 30 December, at which they chose to withdraw their bail applications while awaiting an identity parade.
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The police arrested 11 people in Westonaria on Christmas Eve last year as part of investigations into the 21 December mass shooting that claimed the lives of 10 people.
The group included nine Lesotho nationals, one Mozambican national, and one South African citizen, who were alleged to be employed by the Sibanye-Stillwater mine.
At the time of the arrests, the police recovered an AK-47 rifle, four pistols and ammunition.
Bekkersdal mass shooting case postponed
Gauteng police spokesperson Mavela Masondo informed the media outside the court on Monday that the matter has been postponed to late January to allow investigators to continue their probe into the case.
He added that the identity parade has not yet taken place.
“Part of our investigation is to establish or to find out if these suspects are also linked to the shooting of the Bekkersdal,” Masondo said.
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The postponement was also due to the unavailability of witnesses.
“They were not available this past weekend; hence, we ask the court to postpone it.
“They are out of the province, and we are expecting them back sometime next week, so the case has now been postponed to the 22nd of January,” Masondo told reporters.
“Unfortunately, we cannot talk more about the vast information about our eyewitnesses, but we can confirm that now we’ve got the witnesses [who] will be pointing [out] the suspect during the identity parade.”
Police hunt for suspects
At this stage, the five suspects face charges related to being in South Africa without valid documentation, possession of illegal firearms and unlicensed ammunition.
Masondo confirmed that no murder charges have yet been added, although preliminary investigations indicate that the seized weapons were used in the Bekkersdal attack.
“We suspect that they might be the suspects or the people [who] are responsible for the shooting in Bekkersdal.
“We have also sent those firearms for ballistic tests to establish if these firearms are linked to other serious and violent crimes, including the one of Bekkersdal.”
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He stressed that forensic analysis of the weapons has been prioritised.
“We have asked our forensic experts to speed up the process of ballistic testing.”
Masondo also addressed the status of five other suspects arrested for being undocumented, whose case was initially not enrolled due to outstanding verification from the Department of Home Affairs.
The police are now on the hunt for the suspects following their release from custody.
“We know that they are out there, and we are still searching for them because they are illegal immigrants.
“Now, we’ve got a confirmation from the Department of Home Affairs that their documents are not legit.”
‘There’s nothing that we can do’
Masondo revealed that the South African man arrested for allegedly harbouring the suspects was released after the court found there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
“Once we’ve got enough proof that they were staying in that house where this person is residing, then he can still be charged.
“It’s part of the investigation,” Masondo said.
He added: “Unfortunately, I cannot talk on behalf of the court, but if the court feels that there’s not enough evidence, there’s nothing that we can do as the police.”
Responding to criticism from Bekkersdal residents who claim police are failing to curb crime and illegal mining in the area, Masondo defended law enforcement efforts, saying arrests and ongoing operations demonstrate active policing.
“The police are working together with the security companies, security personnel from the local mine, and we are conducting operations about illegal mining.
“It’s not only here in Bekkersdal or in Westonaria. Everywhere we’ve got a problem of illegal mining, we are conducting our operations.”
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