Staff Reporter.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Mpumalanga has provisionally dropped the charges against the fifth suspect arrested in the murder of Hillary Gardee.
The suspect, a Nigerian national who’s believed to be in his mid-30s, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with defeating the ends of justice, after he was taken in for questioning on Sunday, 14 August.
Police had linked him to the murder case through the cellphone and laptop that belonged to Gardee.
Gardee, the daughter of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee, was found on 3 May near a timber plantation outside Mbombela, after she went missing at the Nelspruit Plaza on 29 April.
The 28-year-old was found with stab wounds, boot prints and a gunshot wound.
Addressing the media outside court on Wednesday, Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the NPA requested that an expert statement be obtained in order to link the man directly to the stolen cellphone and laptop.
“The NPA did not enroll the docket because they advised the police to go and get a statement from an expert. We had to release the suspect provisionally,” he said.
Mohlala confirmed that when the suspect was arrested, he was not found in possession of any of the gadgets that belonged to Gardee.
Meanwhile, four suspects have been charged in connection with Gardee’s murder earlier this year, in April.
Philemon Lukhele, Albert Gama, Sipho Mkhatshwa are facing several charges including murder, rape and kidnapping related to the murder case.
The fourth suspect, Rassie Nkuna, was arrested last week, in KwaThema (Springs), east of Gauteng.
According to Gauteng police, during his arrest, they found Nkuna in possession of a firearm with its serial number filed off. He was also linked to three other murder cases which happened in Mpumalanga.