The Roodepoort magistrate’s court has denied bail to the six suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Kaizer Chiefs defender Luke Fleurs.
Ndumiso Ndura Moswane, 26, Fernando Nando Sive, 25, Nhlakanipho Dlamini, 21, Franky Xaba, 25, Maredi Mphahlele, 36, and Thembinkosi Hlomikhawu, 31, were denied bail during their eighth appearance at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Their case was back in court for judgment in their bail application. The state had opposed their bail application.
They are facing charges of murder (accessory after the fact), robbery with aggravating circumstances, and defeating the ends of justice.
Fleurs was shot and killed on April 3 by two armed men during a hijacking. This happened at the Shell petrol station, Constantia service centre in Florida, Roodepoort, Johannesburg.
The six suspects were arrested in Slovoville, Soweto, last month.
Part of a car hijacking syndicate
Police said Fleurs’ luxury red VW Golf 8 GTI vehicle was recovered last month.
According to police, the six suspects are believed to be part of a syndicate that is responsible for car hijackings in Gauteng. The search for more suspects is continuing.
During court proceedings on Thursday, magistrate Delise Smith said it would not be in the interest of justice to grant the suspects bail. This was because they supplied false information to the court during their bail application.
Smith said Moswane lied about where he lives. Sive lied about having never travelled to Mozambique since he arrived in South Africa as an infant. Dlamini lied about being registered as a student for the 2024 academic year at Gauteng City College. Hlomikhawu lied about not having any other additional conviction or pending case.
Smith said on April 8, the suspects were aware that the car belonged to slain Fleurs, and it was hijacked. However, they went ahead to hide the vehicle and strip it of its parts. Smith said this constitutes them concealing evidence that could help police in their investigations.
Bail denied due to suspects’ false information
She said some of the witnesses who gave information to the state are neighbours of the suspects. As such, granting bail to the suspects will lead them to influence or communicate with the witnesses.
Smith said the suspects ran away when they heard police were looking for them.
“The release of the suspects on bail will undermine and jeopardise public confidence in the criminal justice system,” said Smith.
Smith then dismissed the suspects’ bail application.
The matter was then postponed to June 27 for further police investigations.
The police still need to make a Section 205 application to access information on the suspects’ seized cellphones. Police are still searching for the white BMW 1 Series that was allegedly driven by the murderers from the crime scene. The search for the firearm used to kill Fleurs is also continuing. And police are still awaiting the postmortem results.
Case postponed to June 27, more suspects being sought
When the suspects went down to the holding cells after bail judgment, they waved at their family and friends who were seated in the packed courtroom.
Sive and Hlomikhawu’s girlfriends were in tears after their bail was denied.
On Tuesday, the investigating officer in the case, detective sergeant Nare Benedict Moloto, gave evidence. He said police do not have any evidence that places the suspects at the crime scene where Fleurs was killed.
Moloto said police cannot directly link the suspects to the murder and hijacking of Fleurs’ car.
State prosecutor Paseka Temeki said he cannot convince the court that the suspects planned the murder and hijacking.
No evidence linking suspects to the murder
During the start of their bail application last month, the suspects told the court that they did not kill Fleurs. They also said they did not rob him of his car. The suspects told the court that the state’s case against them is weak and therefore cannot link them to the crimes they are accused of committing.
Moloto’s affidavit was read in court last month by Temeki in a bid to oppose the suspects’ bail application. In it, Moloto said police obtained statements from the suspects. They admitted to being in possession of Fleurs’ red VW Golf 8 GTI vehicle. Their aim was to strip it and sell its parts.
Moloto said the suspects claimed that they saw Fleurs’ car parked in front of someone’s yard for days and they decided to take it for their own benefit.
He said the keys of Fleurs’ car was found in the possession of the suspects.
