The two men and a woman who were arrested on Friday night for themurder of a Standerton traffic officer were denied bail on Wednesay.
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said they gathered outside the Standerton Magistrates Court on Wednesday in support oftheir member as well as an end to police killings in South Africa.
“We are quite happy currently that the three accused were all deniedbail because we saw them as a flight risk as they were caught at theborder of Lesotho. They could have run away,” POPCRU nationalspokesman Richard Mamabolo told 013NEWS.
The traffic officer (37), identified as ‘Inspector AB Nkumba’, wasshot three times while allegedly trying to issue traffic fines to thethree occupants of a black Jeep Compass with Lesotho number plates ataround 3pm on Friday. By 10pm they were arrested in the town ofLadybrand in Free State, near the Lesotho border.
“We hope that justice will prevail for us. We can only hope that theyare found guilty by the court of law and therefore get rehabilitatory terms.
“Like we have been saying before that we take exception with the levelof police killings that have been happening in the country and wishthat the courts punish those who are found guilty of such acts”,Mamabolo said.
When the trio’s car was stopped and searched, by Ladybrand cops, on theFriday night, as it was attempting to cross the border, a firearm, live ammunition and a traffic fine book was found in the car and the three werearrested on the spot.
The three first appeared in Free State’s Ladybrand Magistrates Courton Monday morning to face the charges of possession of unlicensedfirearm as well as theft of state property and were then transportedfrom Free State to Mpumalanga’s Standerton Magistrates Court wherethe murder charge was added.
They will be back in court on 29 August.
(edited by MM)
