Homeless attack: Second attempted murder charge added

A second attempted murder charge has been added to the rap sheet of a man accused of stabbing a homeless man in February this year – and the new charge relates to an attack on a homeless man in March.

Manus Mothupi briefly appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning where he heard that investigations against him had been completed.

The amended charge sheet, which News24 has seen, indicates that Mothupi now faces two attempted murder charges.

The first charge relates to the stabbing of a man near Magnolia Park on February 21. He allegedly used a butcher’s knife to stab the homeless man in the stomach, hand and left knee.

The second attempted murder charge relates to the stabbing of another man on March 3, also at Magnolia Park. Mothupi allegedly stabbed him in his left arm and chest, according to the charge sheet.

The case against Mothupi will now be transferred to the Pretoria Regional Court, where a trial date will be set. The matter has been postponed to August 26.

The police and National Prosecuting Authority have insisted that Mothupi is not connected to the murders of five homeless men in the Muckleneuk area in Pretoria in June.

According to police, the first of the five bodies was found in a veld near the Mears Park train station on June 1. Two more bodies were found in Magnolia Park on June 8 and 9.

A fourth body was found on a pavement on the corner of Justice Mohammed and Troye streets on June 18, and a fifth body was discovered a day later, on June 19, at a bus stop about 400 metres from Unisa’s main campus, also in Muckleneuk.

Police said the five victims were homeless, middle-aged men. They were all killed at night.

News24 also understands that victims were either stabbed, suffered blunt force trauma or injuries inflicted in both manners.

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