Likhona Fose’s alleged killer granted R5,000 bail
The accused in the Likhona Fose murder case has been granted R5,000 bail by the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Mduduzi Mnisi was arrested just days after the teenager's mutilated body was discovered in an open veld in Durban Deep, west of Johannesburg.
READ: Police arrest suspect for Likhona Fose murder
It’s alleged that Mnisi was the last person seen with Fose before the grim discovery.
But during his viva voce testimony at the start of bail proceedings, the 39-year-old denied knowing the teenager.
He asked to call his girlfriend to the stand after he claimed that he had spent the night with her in Daveyton, which violates his parole conditions for an earlier attempted murder and robbery conviction.
READ: Fose’s alleged killer denies involvement
Magistrate Denise Smith found that, despite his violation of his parole conditions, Mnisi had proven that the interest of justice permits his release on bail.
“The court finds that it would not be in the interest of justice to keep the applicant in custody only because he had broken his parole conditions. As a matter of fact, his right to freedom of movement, in the sense thereof that he has the right to freedom to be released on bail, would be seriously infringed. The court finds that on a balance of probabilities shown, that exceptional circumstances exist why it would be in the interest of justice that he be released on bail.”
The National Prosecuting Authority's Phindi Mjonondwane says they accept the court's decision.
“The court decided to grant Mduduzi Mnisi bail in the amount of R5 000. The matter will be back in court on Friday, 11 July for further investigation.”
Mjonondwane added that the accused would however remain under the custody of the department of correctional services due to his violation of his parole conditions after the court also heard evidence from his Parole Officer, Neo Lakaje.
Upon getting details about his phone being traced to Daveyton, Lakaje told the court that he violated his parole conditions as he never obtained prior permission to be in another jurisdiction.
"The bail granted by the court will only become effective after the parole board has taken a decision about his parole."
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