BILLY van Rooyen and his father-in-law, Ronnie Lombard were brutally gunned down on the night of April 19, 2016 at their Swart-Mfolozi farm by a group of nine attackers.
Two years later, almost to the day, six of the remaining suspects have appeared at Vryheid Magistrates’ Court for the first day of a long-awaited trial.
The six accused arrived at Courtroom C this morning and, shortly after 11am, stood before the court for their first day of trial. Of these six, only five of their respective advocates were present, with the sixth reported to be en route to Vryheid at the time.
A brief discussion regarding fingerprinting took place between accused number six, a Mr Nkosi, and his attorney, Adv Ashley Jennings, and Nkosi was subsequently informed by the judge that police have the right to take fingerprints with or without consent. The accused thereafter agreed to co-operate.
It was ruled that the remainder of the day would allow for council to consult with accused one to six, who will be held at Ncome Prison, and the matter was adjourned to April 17.
“With all of the accused currently in custody,” stated the judge, “the quicker we begin this matter, the quicker we can be done with it…”
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