A 36-year-old man appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate Court in connection with the murder of Matwetwe star Sibusiso Khwinana on Monday morning.
Defence lawyer Riaan Du Plessis requested court not to grant an order for the media to be allowed to take photographs or video footage at this stage of the trial, as the accused had not yet gone through an ID parade.
The court granted the defence their request and has not allowed any photos or videos to be taken at the hearing. Those with cameras were instructed to leave the court.
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The court also ordered that the name of Khwinana’s alleged killer not be publicised until the ID parade was conducted.
The accused, a Swahili-speaking man, stands in the docket. He has short, thick dreadlocks. A bail application has not yet been brought at this stage, as further investigations need to be done.
The matter was remanded to May 17, 2019, pending further investigations.
Police last week said they were hot on the heels of Khwinana’s killers, saying three of the men involved had been identified and would soon be arrested.
The slain 25-year-old Soshanguve actor was remembered in a sombre yet celebratory memorial service in Soshanguve last week. The tributes were emotional, with many remembering him as a humble, respectable, and inspiring individual.
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Khwinana, who played the leading role of Lefa in the popular film, lost his life at the beginning of March when he was stabbed to death outside a cinema in Sunnyside. He was waiting for an Uber taxi with co-star Tebatso Mashishi when they were accosted.
The young film star and father of a four-year-old daughter was stabbed to death while wrestling with the attackers for his cellphone.