Grenade thrower denied bail

Handing down her decision, Magistrate Vanitha Armu said she did not believe releasing Joel Mahoase on bail would be in the interests of justice.

She said: “This is a callous act of murder. This is not your average case of murder.”

In the early hours of August 31, Mahoase is alleged to have thrown two hand grenades into the kitchen of his Amanzimtoti home. One of these exploded, mortally wounding his wife Lesego.

Armu made the ruling despite the fact that the prosecution did not oppose the granting of bail.

“The applicant had every intention to ensure that his wife did not survive,” she said

Armu said she did not believe Mahoase would be acquitted of the charges of murder and the unlawful possession of explosives.

She also questioned whether an innocent man would have left his two children and fled for three days.

“He had no regard for her, and he had no regard for his children, who were in the house,” she said.

Earlier, presenting his closing arguments, Advocate Paul Jorgensen, for Mahoase, told the court that his client had a “very good chance of being acquitted”, especially since the case against him was based on the testimony of one person.

Jorgensen pointed out that there was no forensic evidence against his client and it was not clear who had obtained the grenades, as both Mohaose and his wife had worked for the SAAF.

The court had previously heard that Mahaose had retired four years ago, while his wife was still working as a clerk in the air force.

Jorgensen said his client had handed himself over to the police and was therefore not a flight risk.

He said the State hadn’t presented any evidence that his client would interfere with witnesses, intimidate anyone, or even that there would be a public outcry.

“We mustn’t make the mistake of holding the trial now,” said Jorgensen.

During proceedings on Friday, to support the bail application, the court heard that Mahoase’s wife had been charged with attempted murder after she tried to set him alight with brake fluid.

The court also heard that Mahoase successfully sought a protection order against her after she stabbed him, leaving him with a gammy arm.

Prosecutor Sharon Moodley said the State was not opposing bail, and did not believe Mahoase was a flight risk.

Asked by Armu whether the State would be seeking to charge Mahoase with attempted murder in relation to his two children, aged five and eight years, who were asleep in the house at the time of the incident, Moodley said: “The State has not made a decision to charge him on two accounts of attempted murder.”

The case was adjourned to October 15.