A community petition calling for the denial of bail for Matome Moretje Maraka, the alleged mastermind behind the death of businessman Jackie Ramogale, was unsuccessful last Wednesday.

The Polokwane Magistrate’s Court granted Maraka, also a businessman, R100 000 bail, payable in halves by September 30.

Maraka has been charged with conspiracy to murder and murder, the latter being a Schedule 6 offence.

Fatal shooting

Ramogale was shot in the head on the evening of January 31, outside a gymnasium in the Thornhill suburb.

The suspected shooter, Mabu Mailula, revealed to the court that he had been contracted to kill several people, including Pelane Meela, who was also gunned down last year.

The state is still awaiting ballistic test results to determine the weapon’s ownership.

Mailula disclosed that he and his accomplices were paid R250 000 for the contract killing.

The senior prosecutor presented cellphone records of conversations between the two accused shortly after Ramogale was shot.

Both individuals were tracked to the alleged mastermind’s property in Dalmada soon after the incident.

In court

Family and friends of Mailula, Maraka, Meela, and Ramogale filled the courtroom during Maraka’s bail hearing, where he was represented by criminal lawyer Advocate Shaun Abrahams.

Abrahams read Maraka’s affidavit, in which he vehemently denied the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder, stating he intended to plead not guilty if tried.

To demonstrate his willingness to comply with bail conditions, including surrendering his passport, Maraka offered to hand over seven firearms associated with his security company, which would be kept in a local private armory at his expense.

During his arrest on July 16 in the central business district, Maraka was found with two firearms licensed in his name, now held in custody.

Alleged torture

Maraka, a father of three girls, the eldest being seven, revealed in court alleged torture by the investigating officer and other police officers.

He claimed they assaulted him and his brother on separate occasions, actions they intend to challenge in the high court.

Abrahams read Maraka’s affidavit, which detailed the alleged torture.

Maraka described that he was assaulted while he had a plastic bag placed over his head.

He stated that he was taken to an industrial site instead of the police cells, where the assault continued, and that he was told that his lawyers would not be able to help him.

He recounted that a police officer pointed a gun at him, threatening to kill him.

“When I was finally taken to the police station at around 17:00, my attorney had been waiting for me since 15:00.”

Maraka also noted that he had not been officially arrested or informed of his rights.

He was subsequently taken to both a private and a public hospital, he said, where his back injuries, bleeding, and damage to his eardrums were confirmed.

The affidavit also described how Maraka’s brother, also named Matome, was tortured without having been arrested, during what was supposed to be a witness interview for an ongoing murder case.

Both families of the victims were too overwhelmed to comment following the court proceedings.

The case will continue on October 7.