Bail application of 12 SANDF members accused of murder and kidnapping to be heard on Thursday
A dozen SANDF special forces members appeared at the Randburg Magistrate's court in Joburg on Tuesday.
- South African National Defence Force (SANDF)
- Frans Matipa
- Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks)
South African National Defence Force Soldiers: Picture Wikimedia Commons: Cpl. Jad Sleiman, US Marine Corps
JOHANNESBURG - The bail application by the 12 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members charged with murder and kidnapping has been rolled over to Thursday for a further hearing.
A dozen SANDF special forces members appeared at the Randburg Magistrates Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
They were arrested in June for their alleged involvement in the murder of Hawks investigator Frans Mathipa in 2023.
At the time, Mathipa was investigating the alleged involvement of the SANDF special armed forces in the abduction of two foreign nationals at the Mall of Africa.
READ: 12 murder, kidnapping accused SANDF members back in court for bail application
In total, the accused face 12 charges, including three of murder, fraud, kidnapping, and making false statements.
Although they are yet to plead, the members of the SANDF special forces used their bail application to deny any knowledge of the crimes they’re accused of.
In their statements so far, they've told the court that they don't believe that the State has a case.
"We are yet to respond as a State and much of the details will become clearer when we present the affidavit of the investigating officer. Furthermore, we will still get an opportunity to address the court when we do our closing arguments," said Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane.
All 12 accused have been remanded in custody, pending the finalisation of the bail hearing.