Three men accused of killing magistrate Victor Mabunda appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
The matter was postponed so that they could be medically examined.
Thomo Ngoato, Paulos Fourie and Thato Maringa are accused of killing Mabunda in the driveway of his Bronkhorstspruit home in January.
Ngoato and Fourie were wardens at the Baviaanspoort correctional services, where it is suspected they met Maringa, an inmate at the prison.
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Mabunda was killed shortly before he could give judgment in the matter in which Ngoato appeared for allegedly smuggling drugs into the prison.
Last month, the trio requested medical treatment claiming that they had been assaulted by prison wardens and police.
Despite a court order for them to be examined, prison officials claimed they were unable to read the handwriting on the J7 form.
Magistrate Adrian Bekker dismissed this, saying the officials could have made an effort to contact the legal representatives to find out what was written on the document.
All three men will go for medical evaluation as ordered by Bekker.
Ngoato on Friday claimed that he had seen a psychologist at the Kgosi Mampuru correctional centre after the trauma he suffered at the hands of the police.
He said the psychologist ordered that he see a private psychiatrist for further evaluation.
The men said they were continuously being probed by investigating officers away from the presence of their legal representatives.
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Maringa claimed he was getting threats from a specific prison warden and was feeling intimated.
He has been implicated in seven other cases in Bela-Bela, Modimolle and Pretoria, and has decided to abandon bail.
The former inmate was on parole when he was re-arrested for his alleged involvement in the death of Mabunda.
He was found in possession of a stolen vehicle believed to have been part of a convoy during the murder of the magistrate.
Ngoato and Fourie will apply for bail on 21 June.
Chief prosecutor Matric Luphondo said the delays caused by the accused would allow the state to build a strong case against them.
Luphondo said there was an application to have the case moved to the high court.
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Police are still searching for two other suspects, one of whom is believed to be the assassin.
Mabunda worked in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court and was known for his stern, “no-nonsense” attitude in the courtroom.
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