SABC suspects won ’ t apply for bail
THE two men who were caught on camera robbing an SABC news crew have decided not to apply for bail as they are in the country illegally.
The SABC team was accosted outside Milpark Hospital in Parktown last Tuesday and robbed at gunpoint while the cameras were rolling.
The team was reporting on ailing Zambian President Edgar Lungu ’ s arrival at the hospital for surgery.
The men allegedly stole the team ’ s valuables, including laptops and cellphones, and fled.
Zimbabwean nationals Alfred Thongamedi and Clement Mncube appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate ’ s Court yesterday where they faced charges of robbery and possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.
They appeared with Mozambican national Pascal Junior, who is charged with possession of stolen property, and Bangladeshi national Modin Modin, who is charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances. The state opposed bail for Modin as his address was yet to be verified. His legal status in the country is also in question.
Junior said he had a passport and visa to be in the country, and said he wished to apply for bail.
Thongamedi and Mncube do not have legal documents to be in SA and did not apply for bail.
Three interpreters were needed for the four men. The case was postponed to March 26.