COURT DENIED AN ALLEGED ROBBER BAIL
The Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court denied Joseph Malatji (39) bail. He is facing a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition. It is alleged that on 03 July 2024, the accused together with three other accomplices who are still at large blocked a motor vehicle at a robot-controlled intersection, pointed a female driver with a firearm, dragged her out of the company vehicle and robbed her of two money boxes she was delivering that were in the car and fled. Other motorists managed to interrupt the accused and stopped an off-duty police officer who chased after the accused. Malatji was arrested after he was caught at a nearby field next to the Heidelberg mall. The officer took the accused back to the scene where he was identified by the victim. He further pointed the police to where he hid the firearm.
In court the prosecutor Nomathemba Lukhele opposed the accused’s release on bail because the accused had two previous convictions of robbery with aggravating circumstances, he committed these offences while out on parole until 2037, and he failed to adhere to his parole condition which prohibited him from leaving the district of Pretoria. Prosecutor Lukhele further argued that the accused being released on bail would make the community lose their faith in the justice system.
Magistrate Gerhard Strydom agreed with the state and said the accused failed to convince the court that exceptional circumstances exist which in the interest of justice warrant his release on bail. Therefore, bail was denied.
The matter was postponed to 03 September 2024 for further investigations.
