TWO MEN ACCUSED OF MURDER DENIED BAIL
The Pretoria Magistrates’ Court has denied bail to Clinton Plaatjies (39) and Kholofelo Rakhobela (27), from Olievenhoutbosch. They are both facing charges of murder, kidnapping, and possession of an illegal firearm. It is alleged that on 19 August 2022, while the deceased and his girlfriend were walking in the evening at Olievenhoutbosch they were kidnapped by both accused and taken to Plaatjies place of residence, where they hung the deceased facing down on the roof inside of the house and proceeded to assault him with a chain until he died.
Thereafter they put his lifeless body in a body bag and burnt it beyond recognition and later released the girlfriend. Days after the incident occurred, the family of the deceased reported him missing to the police. After investigations by the South African Police Service (SAPS), the deceased body was found by the police in the bushes in Olievenhoutbosch, on 27 August 2022, and a few days later the two accused were arrested at their places of residence on 06 September 2022.
In court, both accused asked to be released on bail, however, the state prosecutor Mashudu Nembulunge, told the court that releasing the accused on bail will endanger their lives, because the community is threatening to take matters into their own hands, by killing them should they be granted bail.
Moreover, it was not in the best interest of justice to release them on bail, since the two do not have any exceptional circumstances that warrant their release on bail. In his judgment, the magistrate agreed with the state and said that because of the seriousness of the offences, the two are facing, there is a high chance that they might evade their trial and temper with the witness since they know who it is, therefore bail was denied.
The matter was postponed to 28 June 2023, for further investigations.
