Street patrol faces murder charges

THE leader of the street patrol committee in Lenyenye and five of its members appeared in the Naphuno Magistrate’s Court last Tuesday on charges ranging from kidnapping to murder.

Lenyenye street patrol committee chairperson Christopher Pilusa (53), Masilo Isaac Lebea (50), Mishack Maifala (48), William Raphela (41), Tebogo Oscar Nkuna (25) and Tshepo Rabothata (24) were each charged with murder, two counts of assault with intend to cause grievous bodily harm and three counts of kidnapping.

According to the prosecution, the six allegedly kidnapped four men from their homes in the early hours late last month and took them to Ithuseng Street in the outskirt of the township where they brutally assaulted them with assortment of weapons and left for dead.

Police were alerted to the scene and took the four victims believed to have been responsible for terrorizing the community to the Maake police station.

One of the assaulted men, Mokgwathi Steven Kobela (43) of Mojeteng village was certified dead on arrival at the hospital as a result of the assault while the three others were admitted for treatment for their injuries.

The six were arrested after they were identified by the victims as their attackers.

In their affidavits read out in court in support of their bail application, the suspects said they received information that members of the community were busy assaulting people who were trying to commit armed robbery. They said when they arrived at the scene, the four men were being assaulted. The men were granted R2 500 bail each and their case was postponed to March 27.