NPA withdraws charges in the Nomzamo shooting case
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced its decision to withdraw criminal charges against all accused previously linked to the gruesome tavern shooting on Tuesday night.
Suspects accused in the Nomzamo tavern shooting incident are now free men, this as the charges against them will be set aside.
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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced its decision to withdraw criminal charges against all accused previously linked to the gruesome tavern shooting on Tuesday night.
The suspects were facing multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances and defeating the ends of justice. This is in connection to the killing of 16 people that were shot at Mdlalose’s Tavern, Orlando East on July 10 last year.
Unknown gunmen said to be travelling in a white mini bus vehicle pounced on the tavern and began shooting randomly at patrons.
The decision by the NPA it said followed “thorough analysis” of the contents of the dockets related to the tavern shooting incidents around Kliptown and Orlando.
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“The NPA concluded that there are no prospects of a successful prosecution, as requests for further investigation were not complied with due to witnesses fearing for their lives or witnesses subsequently losing their lives,” NPA Spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said in a statement.
Mjonondwane said two of the five suspects will remain in custody as they faced additional charges linked to shooting incidents in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
“The state will however continue with prosecution against Lepolesa Moshoeshoe who is charged with seven counts of attempted murder in a Doornkop docket registered in September 2021 and Thembinkosi Kiviet on one murder charge registered with Orlando SAPS in April 2022,” she added.
The five men were arrested in September 2022 and made their first court appearance at the Orlando Magistrates’ Court on September 26.
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Gauteng Police made a major breakthrough in the case in September 2022, arresting two suspects wherein one of the suspects was apprehended on the N3 highway making way into Gauteng, and another in the Northern Cape.
In a separate incident, members of the Crime Intelligence Unit arrested two more suspects linked to the shooting.
At the time the police said one of the suspects was also tied to a murder case for an incident that occurred in Kliptown in October 2021 where a Lesotho musician was killed.
He was also linked to another murder and attempted murder case that occurred in Orlando in May 2022 while the fourth suspect was apprehended on a warrant of arrest for an incident that occurred in Doornkop in 2021.
