Virus risk in Mdluli freedom bid

IN HIS last-ditch effort to convince the judge not to send him to jail, convicted former crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli sought to present to court an expert epidemiologist’s report on Covid-19.

The report was expected to detail the risk level, especially among pensioners like Mdluli and his co-accused and former colleague Mthembeni Mthunzi, of contracting the virus in prison.

Mdluli, 62, and Mthunzi, 60, also previously presented their “poor” health conditions to Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng as factors that should fetch them mercy.

The pair were found guilty in July last year of two counts of kidnapping, two counts of common assault and two counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Judge Mokgoatlheng found the former Vosloorus police station colleagues guilty on charges relating to the kidnapping and assault of the late Oupa Ramogibe, in 1999.

Ramogibe was traced after eloping with and secretly entering into a civil marriage with Mdluli’s customary wife, the late Tshidi Buthelezi.

Mdluli’s lawyer, Ike Motloung, was due to present the epidemiology report before Judge Mokgoatlheng at the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, this week.

But Motloung informed the court the report was not yet available because he had struggled to find an epidemiologist.

He told the court that he, to no avail, communicated with the national Health Department, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the SA Medical Research Council and the Health Professions Council of SA, in a bid to find an epidemiologist.

“May the record please show that on July 9, I did send an email to all my colleagues (prosecutor and other defence lawyer) informing them of the problems I was encountering in obtaining the services of an expert, an epidemiologist,” said Motloung.

Motloung undertook to file the expert report by August 13.

The non-availability of the report was one of the factors that forced the postponement of the sentencing proceedings.

The matter was postponed to August 27 and 28 for sentencing.