17 in dock for stoning, stabbing deaths of 6 men

List of suspects in Kraaifontein murders began with seven names; reward helped speed up case

SEVENTEEN people are due to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court tomorrow for the murders of six Kraaifontein men. Six men aged 18 to 30 were found stoned and stabbed to death with their hands tied behind their backs at Redhill Road, Joostenberg Vlakte in Kraaifontein late last year.

The bodies were dumped along a path in the open fields of Joostenberg Vlakte, and were found lying face down by a passer-by.

Four of the dead men were identified as residents from Wallacedene and two were said to be from Kuils River.

Relatives of the four Wallacedene men accused a local man of the murders. They said the man had accused the victims of stealing his prefabricated bungalow, but police could not confirm this.

Police spokesman Colonel Tembinkosi Kinana said that since the discovery of the bodies, on December 10 last year, 17 suspects had been apprehended. They all faced a charge of murder.

The suspects would appear on tomorrow and Thursday in the Blue Downs Court for bail applications.

The first arrests were made a week after the bodies were found.

Bangikhaya Koni, 37, Tshepo Mathabela, 36, Mncedisi Nditha, 37, Ayanda Gwarubana, 22, Montile Tyokwe, 34, Ayanda Koni, 19, and Khaya Booi, 24, were held for questioning. Each faces six charges of premeditated murder.

An eighth man was released owing to lack of evidence.

In an attempt to speed up the investigation, police offered a R250 000 reward for information leading to the killers’ arrest.

At the time spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said he hoped to add more names to the list of accused, since police suspected the seven men could not have overpowered the six victims without help.

A day before Christmas three more names had been added to the list.

Luvo Maqolo, Khanyile Paul and Thandisile Manise took the stand next to the seven suspects in court as it was announced they would all be represented by the same private lawyer, except for one suspect who would use a Legal Aid lawyer.

The 10 suspects were taken to Pollsmoor Prison until their bail application hearing.

RELATIVES ACCUSED A LOCAL MAN OF THE MURDERS... SAID HE’D ACCUSED THE VICTIMS OF STEALING HIS PREFAB BUNGALOW