Bail denied for alleged shooter of ‘orange thief’
Ndlovu has still not been found since incident
The 24 year old accused of attempted murder, which is linked to the disappearance of North West man Tebogo Ndlovu will spend four more days in custody before he can apply for bail.
Matthew Benson appeared in the Brits Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Benson is accused of shooting Ndlovu on August 2.
Ndlovu and his two friends were allegedly stealing oranges from a farm owned by Benson’s parents on the day of the alleged shooting.
Benson was arrested on September 16 following over four weeks of police investigation.
Benson’s lawyer Jeff Moyo yesterday told the court his team was ready to proceed with the matter and asked the court to release his client on bail after the state asked for a postponement to better prepare as more charges might be added against the accused.
“The accused has been interviewed by the police seven times. He has shown that he is interested in helping the police solve this matter. He has provided two addresses. He does not have a criminal record or a pending case against him.
“I know that the state has that opportunity to request for a postponement for further investigation, but in this instance it’s unfair for the accused because he has been complying with the law‚” said Moyo.
Moyo’s request was not approved, and the matter was postponed to September 22 vulnerable people in our society. I condemn those callous actions in the strongest terms and believe the law will act swiftly on Khombela‚” Mbalula said.
Mbalula said that Nthleko “must rot in jail and be held responsible for his actions”.
The video‚ which received a million views on Facebook and was shared over 9 000 times‚ was posted by the victim’s for a formal bail application.
The accused will be kept at Mooinooi police station until his next appearance.
The Ndlovu family‚ a large group of Majakaneng residents‚ members of the EFF‚ Sanco and Cosatu attending the hearing were not pleased with Benson’s request for bail.
Cosatu North West secretary Job Dliso said the union will mobilise its members to ensure the suspect remains in jail.
“We want to appeal to the NPA to investigate this matter thoroughly. This is one of the matters of racism. We want to see the suspect being charged and rot in jail. It’s painful for the Ndlovu family.
“Now it’s a month and two weeks without knowing where th eir child is‚” said friend Thandeka Ndlovu‚ who was with her on what she labelled a “traumatic night”.
The woman was hospitalised and is “better than yesterday”‚ according to Ndlovu, who visited her in hospital yesterday.
Ndlovu told TimesLIVE that the accused assaulted both her and her friend at Slotjhile Pub and Shisanyama in Esselen Park, Tembisa. She claimed Dliso outside court.
The Benson family and a group of local farmers were also in court to support the accused. Benson’s mother and his girlfriend shed a few tears outside court after he had appeared.
“I don’t have a place to go. Our home has been destroyed. We live in-between relatives, but I know that my son is innocent‚” said Benson’s mother outside court.
Ndlovu’s disappearance sparked violent protests as Majakaneng residents blocked several major routes‚ including the N4‚ R104 and R566‚ last month. Protesters burned five vehicles and two people were arrested for public violence during the unrest, but charges against the pair have been dropped.
Majakaneng residents marched to the local police station on August 23 demanding information leading to Ndlovu’s whereabouts.
Mpho Boikanyo from the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) was also in court.
She said SAHRC appealed to all affected parties to give the court an opportunity to deal with this case. –
‘ ‘ The accused has been interviewed seven times
that the bouncers at the pub did not help them when the man was attacking them.
“At some point he forced her to go into his car‚ the police came and an ambulance. The people at the garage were just watching too. I fear for our lives because he is well-known and told us that the police won’t do anything to him‚” Ndlovu said. –