The bail application for Martin Wessels carried on this morning (May 9). Wessels is accused of shooting Anton Lombard at the Hauser Park Sports Bar, better known as The Shute, on the evening of April 16.

Today in court, the state presented evidence, showing video footage of the shooting.

The matter has been remanded for further evidence and Wessels will appear in court again on Wednesday, May 14. He will remain in police custody.

The hearing began yesterday (May 8), with upset prosecutor Ms Khumalo storming out of the courtroom when Wessels’ attorney, Justin Heunis, started presenting the case in Afrikaans. An agreement was made that the court proceedings would continue in English, while the accused will be allowed to testify in Afrikaans. 

An Afrikaans translator, who travelled all the way from Paulpietersburg, was made available to translate the evidence into English. Magistrate Geldenhuys, who is fluent in Afrikaans, occasionally assisted the translator with the translations.

Yesterday, video evidence was presented by the defence, showing the timeline of events that took place on the evening of the shooting. The crux of the evidence presented by the defence was that Lombard attacked Wessels in the parking lot.

Also read: Shute shooter appears in Ladysmith court today

Also read: Language hiccup at bail application for Shute shooter

Wessels said he believed that Lombard was armed with a knife and intended to kill him. In the scuffle that ensued out in the parking area, Wessels claimed his gun accidentally went off.

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