Ziwaphi Relentless quest for the truth
The two foreign nationals accused of shooting and killing provincial culture, sports and recreation spokesman Sammy Mpatlanyane will have to stay in jail until the end of their trial.
This comes after the Nelspruit magistrate’s court denied bail to second accused, Tanzanian national Omary Issa, 29, who appeared alongside Mozambican national Nito Mashava, 28, who was denied bail on April 14.
The two accused were not asked to plead to charges of murder, possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition and conspiracy to commit murder when they appeared on Thursday._State prosecutor Advocate Isabet Erwee told the court that Issa was not eligible for bail because if the state granted him bail he would not be traced as he had no fixed address.
“First the suspect has no fixed address and the owner of the flats he said to be renting wrote an affidavit saying he doesn’t know him. He doesn’t even have a permanent work address where he can be found during work hours,” said Erwee._Erwee further stated that Home Affairs records showed that the number on Issa’s passport belonged to a Mozambican woman known as Anita Ngwambe.
The court denied Issa bail on the basis that he had no fixed home or work address.
Police expect to make six more arrests in the case.
The two are accused of shooting and killing Mpatlanyane, who was gunned down on January 10, 2010 at his home in Mbombela. At the time, Mpatlanyane’s murder was linked to alleged cover-ups of tender fraud in Mpumalanga’s 2010 stadium. First accused, Mashava was arrested on April 6 in Mbombela while Issa, a street vendor who sold sweets and manned a public phone, was arrested at his business site in the Mbombela CBD.
In their previous appearance police investigator and member of the organised crime unit Captain Sunnyboy Moloko told the court that the police had records to prove that meetings were held in which eight people planned the murder.
”As the police, we know that the two accused have friends who are still at large who were also paid to kill Mpatlanyane. We have records to prove that meetings were held in which they all planned the murder,” Moloko testified.
Issa’s defence lawyer Sifiso Mabilane previously argued that the state had no case and that his client was beaten into signing a confession statement.
The case was postponed to June 20 for a trial date.
Outside court Mabilane told journalists that he was disappointed that his client was denied bail.
“During the trial I will be able to expose the state on this case, they are just playing hide and seek on very weak and baseless allegations,” said Mabilane.
Mpatlanyane’s murder is one of the infamous January Murders in Mpumalanga._In January, the National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that the January Murders in Mpumalanga were politically motivated and needed special attention.
The murders include those of Mpatlanyane, Mbombela local municipality speaker Jimmy Mohlala and ANC chief whip in the Ehlanzeni district municipality Johan Ndlovu. All three men were murdered in the month of January since 2009.
The killings have also caught the attention of national police Commissioner Bheki Cele who announced on January 14 that he had appointed a team of 12 highly trained officers from four provinces to get to the bottom of the murders.
