NPA burglary pair case postponed
State waiting for expert analysis of video footage
Magistrate Kiru Pillay heard yesterday at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court of video footage which implicates the two men in custody for burglaries at state offices in Pretoria.
Pillay heard that the state’s outstanding evidence included final expert analysis of the footage.
Moses Mtakiso, 39, and Moses Magolego, 40, made a brief appearance before Pillay.
“We need to do facial comparisons [from the footage],” prosecutor Mathews Monyae said. He was responding to Pillay, who wanted to know why the state sought postponement to September 21.
Mtakiso and Magolego were expecting their trial to begin yesterday. They forfeited their right to apply for bail, saying they did not wish to waste the court’s time.
Stating another ground for postponement, Monyae said fingerprint results were also outstanding. Pillay adjourned the matter as requested.
The state brought up to eight break-in and business robbery charges against Mtakiso and one against Magolego.
The charge against Magolego emanated from a robbery he allegedly pulled with Mtakiso inside the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.
The pair allegedly made off with a laptop and a memory stick belonging to Joyce Ntuli, a National Prosecuting Authority official, on July 20.
Mtakiso also faces charges for breaking into the NPA offices in downtown Pretoria, where he allegedly stole two laptops belonging to prosecutors Andre Fourie and Jennifer Cronje.
Cronje’s memory stick was also stolen. She was handling the state’s case against four men accused of killing North West businessman Wandile Bozwana execution style.
Mtakiso also allegedly targeted Koedoe Arcade, a building housing the offices of Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and Acting National Commissioner Lesetja Mothiba.
Mtakiso is also accused of burgling the office of another official and stealing a desktop computer.
He also allegedly hit the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court twice last month. On July 28 he allegedly stole a cellphone and two days later he made off with a briefcase.
Mtakiso apparently also broke into Old Mutual’s offices on August 4 and stole a kettle, speakers, laptop charger, umbrella and two packs of Jungle Oats.
He also faced a count for escaping from police custody.