Reeston 7’s bail hearing postponed

THE bail hearing in the murder trial of seven men from Reeston came to a halt yesterday when two of the accused did not appear.

The bail court at the East London Magistrate’s Court was already packed to capacity when a large group of Reeston residents arrived.

From their conversation in the gallery it was apparent they believe the seven should get bail.

They are accused of kidnapping, assaulting and later killing two youths from their neighbourhood.

Lihle Sokutu, 18, and his friend Londoloza Ntlombeni, 20, were allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and pushed over a 100m high cliff near Butterworth in March.

The two had been accused by the community of breaking into people’s houses in the Reeston area, East London spokeswoman Warrant Officer Hazel Mqala said last week.

The five accused who appeared in the dock yesterday were sent back to prison to await their new bail hearing, set for Wednesday. Magistrate Joel Cesar told them he could not proceed with their bail application without their two co-accused. No explanation was given to the court as to why the two were not in court.

The five in court yesterday were Lungisa Kula, Luvo Mpongwana, Sakhumzi Jiya, Khayalethu Mngcongco and Thanduxolo Mbebe. The two who were missing are Thozamile Tafane and Thobela Robeni.

Police believe the assault happened in Reeston on March 14, and that the victims were loaded in two vehicles the next day, taken to Manqulo village, and pushed to their death.

The state intends to argue that the killings were premeditated, placing the offences in the most serious category and making bail a tough proposition. —