By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The court case of a gang of alleged robbers involved in a shootout with police in Rossettenville, Johannesburg has been postponed to April.
The accused made a brief appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The men face eight counts of murder, as well as charges of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, possession of explosives, possession of hijacked vehicles, and conspiracy to commit a cash-in-transit heist.
Sihle Mazibuko, 35; Qaphela Ngubeni, 33; Menzi Shabalala, 47; Khulekani Nkosi, 36; Kitso Mnguni, 45; Phendula Mvubu, 44; Mike Ngwadi, 47; Hloniphani Dube, 40; Alex Matshebele, 40; and Andrew Tshobolo, 67, appeared briefly in the lower court last Wednesday.
During their previous court appearance, four of the 10 men who were allegedly involved in the shootout that claimed eight lives were ordered to prove they were in the country legally.
Three of the men – Dube, Matshebele and Tshobolo – are from Zimbabwe, while Mnguni is from Botswana.
Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane says the case was postponed pending residential address verification.
“Two addresses have been verified and the process to verify the others is still continuing, three of the accused are Zimbabwean nationals and one is a Botswana national. The investigating officer is working with the Home Affairs Department, to confirm such information. If they are found to be in the country illegally, additional charges will be added.
A shootout between alleged robbers and police left eight people dead and four police officers injured.
Following the shooting, police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), detailed a crime scene that spanned five places, nine high-calibre firearms, 10 stolen high-performance vehicles, and some of the alleged cash-in-transit robbers shot dead during the extensive exchange of gunfire.
The Ipid report confirmed that the suspects were planning to commit a cash-in-transit heist in Johannesburg when they were intercepted by a sea of police officers – some in the sky in a helicopter. The police had gathered intelligence over many days, watching the suspects closely before pouncing on the group.
Ipid said the group consisted of at least 25 people, and some managed to flee.