Ramaphosa death threat case postponed to June

The man accused of making threats aimed at President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The accused has been identified by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) as 27-year-old Phillip Sebole Masango.

Masango was arrested in Germiston on Friday and transported to the Western Cape over the weekend to attend his court appearance.

“[He is] charged with assault and threatening to kill the President of the Republic of South Africa and the Mayor of Cape Town,” Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila confirmed to The Citizen on Monday.

“His case has been postponed until 2 June for further investigation,” Ntabazalila stated.

Arrested in Gauteng

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) stated that the case originated from a complaint lodged by the CEO of a Cape Town-based company on 12 May.

The complainant reported a voice message she received from the accused, in which he is alleged to have made threats against the president.

“The suspect is also alleged to have sent multiple threatening messages targeting the complainant, her family, and the executive mayor of Cape Town,” stated the Hawks.

The matter was escalated to the Cape Town branch of the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State (Cats) unit, whose investigation led to Masango’s arrest.

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