Johannesburg - The four men accused of killing LGBTQI activist Sam Mbatha has been postponed again at the Ga-Rankuwa Magistrate’s Court.
The case has been postponed to 29 June to allow the senior state prosecutor to finalise the indictment before the matter can be transferred to a high court.
Due to the serious nature of the offence, the case was transferred to the Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP) to decide on the high court transfer.
The murder accused, Arthur Khoza, 19, Thato Masetla, 22, Junior Modise, 21, and Mahlatsi Nkuna, 21, were all arrested following extensive investigations by the police.
NPA Regional Spokesperson for the Northwest Division Henry Mamothame said: “Masetla and Modise are in police custody while Khoza and Nkuna are out on R500 bail.”
Under strict bail conditions, they are required to report to the Klipgat Police Station every Wednesday and Sunday between 5pm and 6pm, and they are also barred from interfering with the state’s witnesses.
Modise had previously been granted bail, but it was revoked when he failed to appear in court on two previous occasions.
Sam Mbatha, an award-winning MC, voice-over artist, writer, presenter and LGBTQI+ community activist, went missing on June 16 last year, and his body was found the next morning inside a Hyundai i20, which had been set alight. The vehicle was found at a soccer field in Ikageng Section.
DNA tests were needed to confirm that the body found in the vehicle was indeed that of Sam Mbatha due the body being burnt beyond recognition.
Police investigations led them to a house in the Phutha section, Klipgat, on Monday, 21 June 2021. The house was searched, and bloodstains were found on the floor, under and on top of the bed as well on the carpet.
During the search, an axe suspected to have been used in committing the crime was also found on the roof of the house.
IOL