Man denied bail in five-year-old murder case
The three accused allegedly shot and killed Ditebogo Phalane during the hijacking of his father, Tebogo.
The case of three men accused in an incident that left a five-year-old dead in Soshanguve has been postponed to September 10 for a formal charge.
This follows the killing of Ditebogo Phalane, who was shot in front of his dad in a hijacking in the driveway of their home on May 10, 2024.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said, “The matter was postponed to September 10 for indictment”.
This, after one of the accused was denied bail by the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on July 30.
“The Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court denied bail to Elia Moeko (36),” she said.
“Moeko, along with his co-accused Ali Sithole (30) and Nido Gumbe (29), faces charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and possession of ammunition.”
She added that Gumbe, a Mozambican, faces an extra charge of being in the country illegally.
Mahanjana said, “The trio allegedly shot and killed Ditebogo during an armed robbery targeting his father, Tebogo Phalane, in the course of a hijacking.”
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According to her, an intensive investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation led to the suspects’ arrest on May 23, 2024.
“The suspects were arrested while in custody at the Pretoria Moot Police Station on unrelated charges,” she said.
She added that while Sithole and Gumbe had previously abandoned their bail applications, Moeko submitted a bail affidavit.
Moeko claimed he needed to care for his two minor children and his late brother’s child.
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“He further stated that his continued incarceration would result in a loss of income, as he operates a hair salon and offers school transport services,” said Mahanjana.
She added that prosecutor Advocate Tumelo Letaoana opposed the application and led evidence from the investigating officer.
“Sergeant Mashudu Savhasa testified that Moeko posed a flight risk, had misled the court by not disclosing previous convictions, and could endanger witnesses known to him,” she said.
Magistrate Maseena Khan ruled that the accused failed to prove the existence of exceptional circumstances that would justify his release on bail.
“As a result, bail was denied,” she said.
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