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The case has been postponed to 17 April for further investigations.
Picture: iStock
A Zimbabwean national accused of the brutal murders of six people from the Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve has opted to abandon his bail application.
The 27-year-old suspect appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court for a second consecutive day on Tuesday for a bail hearing.
He faces multiple charges, including six counts of murder — five men and one woman — along with five counts of attempted murder and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The suspect’s initial charges — possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of ammunition, and being in the country illegally — were officially merged with the Soshanguve murder case.
“Last week, he was only based on three charges and yesterday he came and he was charged with a murder charges.
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“So the state then joined those two dockets today,” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said on Tuesday.
Following this development, the accused chose to abandon his formal bail application.
The case has been postponed to 17 April for further investigations, and he will remain in custody until then.
The Zimbabwean national was arrested on 24 March, two days after the tragic attack at the Marry Me informal settlement, following a police investigation.
According to reports, at approximately a group of 12 community safety patrollers was gathered on the street when they were confronted by five unidentified men, one of whom was armed.
The attackers allegedly opened fire, shooting one patroller before assaulting others with rocks and wooden poles.
They then set the victims on fire.
Four patrollers died at the scene, while the injured were rushed to the hospital, where two more succumbed to their injuries.
During a memorial service last week, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi stated that the two arrested men had admitted to their involvement in the killings.
He also revealed that a third suspect had been taken into custody.
According to the Hawks, the first suspect was tracked to Soshanguve Extension 20, where police recovered a 9mm Girsan firearm with ammunition.
The firearm’s serial number had been scratched off.
The second suspect was apprehended in Soshanguve Extension 6 and was found in possession of a 9mm CZ firearm with ammunition and a filed-off serial number.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspects may be linked to murders and house robberies that took place on 21 February.
The recovered firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine if they were used in other serious crimes in Gauteng.
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