N1 assault: Case against 8 VIP cops postponed for trial
The faces of the eight accused were revealed for the first time during their appearance in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The case against the officers who are attached to the VIP Protection Unit has been postponed to 6 May 2024 for trial, following a brief appearance in court.
Shadrack Kojoana, Johannes Mampuru, Joseph Mofokeng, Harmans Ramokhonami, Phineas Boshielo, Churchill Mkhize, Aggrie Rambau, and Moses Tshidada, all face several counts of various charges, including assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property, defeating the ends of justice and intimidation.
The group, which was previously attached to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s security detail, was handcuffed after a video that showed occupants of a private VW hatchback being attacked, allegedly by the officers, made the rounds in June this year.
READ: VIP cops linked to N1 assault granted R10 000 bail
Previously, the court had ruled that the accused could attend proceedings with their faces hidden behind masks as an identity parade was yet to be conducted.
They were released on R10,000 bail in August after Magistrate Hlezepi Mkhasibe found the State failed to convince the court that it would be in the interest of justice to keep them behind bars.
The State had alleged that a witness in the matter had been intimidated. However, they were unable to immediately demonstrate to the court that the accused could be linked to the threatening text message.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonodwane says they are confident that they have a strong case.
“We are ready to proceed to the next stage of the case, which is the trial process, hence we requested a postponement to 6 May 2024 for the trial to resume.
“We are of the view that we have enough evidence to sustain the allegations leveled against the accused before court.”
The 60-day suspension instituted by the employer, the South African Police Service, as part of an internal investigation has lapsed.
The officers are now back at work, but their duties are limited to desk work.
Mjonondwane says this does not affect their case: “We believe that that is an issue between the employer and the employees. We therefore can’t interfere in that as the prosecution, however, we can confirm that the investigations are concluded hence we are ready to disclose the contents of the docket to the defence team. So, we don’t believe that that could be a problem to our case before court.”
She says details of what evidence the state has gathered and their list of witnesses will be revealed during the trial process, as they wish not to reveal their strategy prematurely.
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