Former Dundee SAPS officer again loses bail appeal

Former Dundee police captain Roshanlal Banawo has been denied bail for the third time.

Banawo, arrested on November 24 last year, was initially refused bail by the Dundee Magistrate’s Court. His subsequent appeal to the Pietermaritzburg High Court was also denied in February. Last Monday, the Dundee Regional Court dismissed his latest bail application.

It is alleged that Slambert survived at least two assassination attempts between May and August last year. Banawo, who left the SAPS around 2019, was arrested following an intense police investigation.

The state opposed Banawo’s bail, citing the prevalence of crimes against women in the country and the risk of him interfering with the investigation due to his former networks within SAPS. The state also highlighted that Banawo’s arrest during the ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV)’ campaign underscored the gravity of the charges against him.

The court rejected Banawo’s new evidence, which included claims of his family’s suffering due to his inability to run his livestock business. Umzinyathi District police spokesperson, Constable Siyabonga Nkwanyana, welcomed the court’s decision to deny bail.

“This is seen as a strong stance by the judiciary against GBV. It reflects the seriousness of the crime and the need to protect the victim and society,” said Nkwanyana.