By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The six men standing trial for the hijacking and murder of Kaizer Chiefs defender Luke Fleurs’ have been denied bail by the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court.
Ndumiso Moswane, Fernando Sive, Nhlakanipo Dlamini, Franky Xaba, Maredi Mphahlele and Thembinkosi Hlomikhawu appeared in the court on Friday.
The face charges of murder, robbery under aggravating circumstances, possession of unlicensed firearms, possession of unlicensed ammunition and defeating the ends of justice.
Magistrate Delise Smith referred to the charges against them as serious and a factor in her ruling.
Smith said Moswane lied about where he lives. Sive lied about having never travelled to Mozambique since he arrived in South Africa as an infant. Dlamini lied about being registered as a student for the 2024 academic year at Gauteng City College. Hlomikhawu lied about not having any other additional conviction or pending case.
Magistrate said on April 8, the suspects were aware that the car belonged to slain Fleurs, and it was hijacked. However, they went ahead to hide the vehicle and strip it of its parts. Smith said this constitutes them concealing evidence that could help police in their investigations.
She said some of the witnesses who gave information to the state are neighbours of the suspects. As such, granting bail to the suspects will lead them to influence or communicate with the witnesses.
Smith said the suspects ran away when they heard police were looking for them.
“The release of the suspects on bail will undermine and jeopardise public confidence in the criminal justice system,” said Smith.
Smith then dismissed the suspects’ bail application.
The matter was then postponed to June 27 for further police investigations.
The case had been postponed several times since the suspects’ arrest last month, including to finalise legal representation, for lawyers to familiarise themselves with the matter, and for the magistrate to classify their offence.
Fleurs was confronted by two armed suspects while waiting for assistance at a petrol station in Honeydew on 3 April.
The star was shot once in the upper body before a suspect fled in his red VW Golf 8 GTI and others followed in a getaway car.
Fleurs was rushed to the nearest medical centre, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The car was later found but stripped for parts.
“When the vehicle was recovered, it was already stripped. Police believe that the suspects are part of a syndicate that is responsible for car hijackings in Gauteng, and the search for more suspects is continuing,” said Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo.