Injured suspects in court after killing of cop

COURT proceedings of two men allegedly involved in a shooting which left a police officer dead were postponed because both required medical attention.

Their legal representative, Steve Sekwele, requested the postponement when the pair appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He told the court that Lucky Madiba, 30, had been bitten by a dog, while Mpho Mohlala, 29, sustained lacer- ations to his right eye and had been shot in the left ankle.

The men will face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, using a vehicle without the owner’s permission, two counts of attempted murder, four counts of murder, possession of a firearm without a licence, unlawful possession of ammunition, and car theft. Magistrate Maryke de la Rey agreed to postpone proceedings to Friday for the men to launch a formal bail application.

Madiba and Mohlala cut sombre fig- ures as they limped into court. Members of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union demonstrated outside the court demanding that the two men be denied bail. They also demanded the pair be handed life sentences.

Madiba and Mohlala, with three alleged accomplices, were stopped by two officers on Wednesday morning on the N4 highway. As the officers approached their car, the men allegedly fired several shots, killing Constable Max Lekalakala. The three accomplices in the car also died.