On Tuesday, the state prosecutor revealed in court that an additional four suspects are still at large. The state has seemingly trimmed down its number of suspects sought, after it initially said they are looking at six more suspects.

The suspects linked to this case are charged with murder, kidnapping, defeating the ends of justice, and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) after a body of an individual was dug up outside Wepener recently. It’s understood that the suspects who are still at large might have crossed the border into the neighbouring country of Lesotho.

Yesterday, all nine suspects who are in custody applied for bail and asked the court to release them, owing to personal circumstances. The bail hearing was, however, postponed after all nine of them had their founding affidavits read in court by their legal representative, Johny Fixane.

OFM News previously reported that all nine suspects have pleaded not guilty to all charges against them. The bail hearing was postponed to Monday 13 December 2021.

All suspects appealed to Magistrate Moos to release them on bail owing to varying personal circumstances. The charges were made on 30 November 2021 after the discovery of a decomposed body along the R26 road between Wepener and Hobhouse. The suspects appeared on Tuesday in the Wepener Magistrate's Court, however, the police are still searching for other suspects believed to be involved in the above-mentioned incident.

OFM News