There is no connection between the case and two men who were taken into custody following the killing of five patrollers at the Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve, Pretoria, at the weekend.
The National Prosecuting Authority made this announcement following the pair’s brief court appearance on Wednesday.
The men, including a Zimbabwean who is in the country illegally, appeared before the Pretoria North magistrate’s court on different charges.
NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the suspects were arrested on Monday; however, they are not linked to the murders of the patrollers.
“I can confirm that two accused persons appeared before the court,” Mahanjana said.
“One is a 27-year-old Zimbabwean man who has been in the country illegally, and he is facing charges of being in South Africa illegally, possession of a firearm, and possession of ammunition.
“And [the other suspect], a 50-year-old accused, is facing charges of possession of a firearm and ammunition.”
Media barred from identifying the suspects
Advocate Tumelo Letaoana, the state prosecutor, requested in court that the media refrain from revealing the names and identities of the defendants because they have not yet held an identity parade.
Citing that disclosing the identities would compromise the case, magistrate Thandi Theledi granted the request.
“The media cannot film the proceedings as yet because that will compromise the identity parade, but the members of the public will have to go outside because some of them will be witnesses in the identity parade,” said Theledi.
Despite the court’s decision to protect the identities of the accused, the Zimbabwean suspect dropped his bail application.
However, the 50-year-old informed the court through his lawyer that he was beaten by police when he was arrested.
He further requested medical attention and applied for bail, which was opposed. The case has been postponed to April 1 for further investigation.
The state said if investigations reveal that the two are linked to the murders of Marry Me informal settlement patrollers, the charges will be added.
