The alleged mall gang syndicate faces more woes. On 18 June, the six men accused of being part of a syndicate that has been committing robberies across Gauteng appeared in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court for the bail application of one of them.
The six were arrested in September last year, following a joint intelligence-driven operation which foiled the alleged robbery that was to take place at a cell phone store at Fourways Mall.
They were arrested along with three Douglasdale police officers. The state has since withdrawn charges against the police officers.
The men have been charged with conspiracy to commit a robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of unlicensed firearms and possession of prohibited firearms.
The state dropped a bombshell when prosecutor Yusuf Baba told the court that warrants of arrests have been issued against some of the accused persons.
Baba told the court that accused number one, Nkosinathi Masoa who is the main applicant in the bail application that is currently before Magistrate Gayle Pretorius, has seven warrants issued against him in other cases, related to mall robberies.
Masoa’s attorney, Idemudi Uriesi, was visibly caught off-guard by the latest development in the case. He told the court that he will need the state to furnish him with the original warrants of arrests as during the proceedings, the state only had the warrants on a soft copy. Baba said the state will furnish him with originals.
The case was almost ready for trial when Masoa made a sudden and unexpected turn by telling the court that he would like to make a bail application. Masoa had previously abandoned his bail application last year. Some of his co-accused proceeded with their bail applications but were denied bail by Pretorious who described the accused persons as a danger to society.
The case has been remanded to 27 June.
