MBOMBELA – The man of the cloth, Past Mandla Dube, who was sentenced to 15 years in jail, is currently out on R20 000 bail pending his petition outcome.
On October 14, Dube (49), spiritual leader of the General Church of God in Chochocho, was convicted and sentenced to 15 years for the murder of Sabelo Mlombo ( 27) whom he suspected of stealing his 7 000 litre water tank.
Immediately after the sentencing, he filed an urgent leave to appeal. He therefore appeared in the same Magistrate’s Court on October 15 where his leave to appeal was refused by the court. He and his new lawyer then applied for bail pending the petition to the Chief Justice where he will appeal against his conviction and sentencing.
The magistrate granted him R20 000 bail while he (Dube) waited for the decision of the judge from the Northen Gauteng High Court. This bail is R19 000 more than his initial bail of R1 000 earlier granted in the case.
When granting the bail, magistrate Mr Willie Wilkens, said that as Dube had already been sentenced to 15 years, he should be refunded his R1 000 bail money to use towards the new R20 000 bail and prepare himself for his life in jail.
“You must understand that the High Court may change your sentence. If you decide to cancel the appeal, it must be done within 48 hours,” he said.
A well-informed prosecutor told this journalist that the length of the petition would depend on the roll in the High Court.
“It may vary from six weeks or longer,” he said.
