Witness safety in the spotlight after couple killed outside Randburg court
The NPA says it is concerned about the safety of witnesses after a couple was shot and killed outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane was speaking on the sidelines of the court appearance of eight VIP protection officers charged for the assault of motorists on the N1 highway earlier this year.
During bail proceedings in that matter, the State had argued that the accused had threatened one of the witnesses.
READ: N1 assault: Case against 8 VIP cops postponed for trial
On Wednesday, it emerged that the victims of the apparent hit outside the court precinct were witnesses in another case against police officers.
The woman was the complainant in an assault case against the four officers, who she alleged had tortured her when she was arrested in connection with an alleged robbery at her employer’s plot in 2018.
The man, her husband, was a state witness.
Mjonondwane says while they prioritise witness safety, there are limitations to what they can do to protect witnesses.
“We do take the safety of witnesses very seriously as the NPA; hence, we have the witness protection unit, and we can only act once information is brought to the attention of the prosecution and an assessment of the threat is also done.
“Remember, it is also a voluntary process whereby the people that we seek to protect must also agree to be taken into witness protection.”
The State succeeded in its urgent application to compel the four officers in the assault matter to cooperate with police, even though they are not suspects in the murders.
The court heard that the investigating officer sought to collect further evidence in the form of gun residue testing, ballistics testing of firearms, and analysis of the cell phone data on the officers’ devices.
The provincial police have confirmed that a manhunt for the assailants is underway.
READ MORE: Couple killed outside Randburg court 'witnesses in assault case'
Meanwhile, City of Joburg Speaker Colleen Makhubele has condemned the shooting.
‘’It is essential to note the plague of murders that continue to haunt what was once a "World-class African City’’ has now become an ungovernable city where anyone with a weapon can use it to end a life.
"Not only is it scary that this transpired near an institution set to protect our people and also enforce order and authority, but it is also more chilling to the spine the idea of what we wish to tell the world and our investors about who we are as people. If we as people of government aren’t concerned about the dilapidating state of our social order, we have a problem.’’
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