Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo
17 March 2025
Aphiwe Mje (24), Khawlezile Nono (40), and Bongumusa Gujela (31) appeared before the Evander Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 11 March 2025, for the continuation of their formal bail hearing.
The three stands accused of the alleged gruesome murder of Abraham Masiteng.
They are facing a charge of premeditated murder, kidnapping, and defeating the ends of justice.
Accused two and three testified before the court and pleaded guilty to all charges laid against them.
The investigation officer Constable Ramutla desputed their release on bail citing that they are unemployed and therefore would be unable to cover travel expenses from another province to attend court until the finality of the matter.
furthermore Ramutla testified that if the accused persons are found guilty they could face a minimum of a life sentence therefore knowing this they could evade trial should they be released on bail.
A petition with signatures against the release of the three by residents of Embalenhle Ext 22 was submitted before the court.
The state also submitted the murder statistics from eMbalenhle since June 2024 to February 2025 which shows that about 46 people have been murdered during that period.
Constable Mdluli also testified that in the morning as she was bringing in the accused persons, accused number one, Aphiwe Mje attempted to escape.
The case proceeded again on Friday, 14 March 2025 for bail application verdict.
All three accused admitted to having disposed of the deceased.
The court heard evidence before court that one of the accused houses was burnt down by angry community members leading to his family fleeing to the Eastern Cape.
It also found that their admission to the offence weighs heavily on them therefore should they be granted bail they might evade trial or interfere with witnesses.
Their bail was then denied and the matter was postponed to 02 may 2025 for further investigation.
