Witnesses won’t be safe: Kaizer Chiefs star Luke Fleurs’ alleged killers denied bail

The six men standing trial for the hijacking and murder of Kaizer Chiefs star Luke Fleurs have been denied bail by the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court.

The 24-year-old footballer was gunned down in a hijacking in Johannesburg last month.

Ndumiso Moswane, Fernando Sive, Nhlakanipo Dlamini, Franky Xaba, Maredi Mphahlele and Thembinkosi Hlomikhawu appeared in the court on Friday in connection with Fleurs’ death.

The face charges of murder, robbery under aggravating circumstances, possession of unlicensed firearms, possession of unlicensed ammunition and defeating the ends of justice.

Magistrate Delise Smith referred to the charges against them as serious and a factor in her ruling.

Smith said witnesses were known by the accused and there was a real threat that they may be harmed if the suspected were released.

The case had been postponed several times since the suspects’ arrest last month, including to finalise legal representation, for lawyers to familiarise themselves with the matter, and for the magistrate to classify their offence.

ALSO READ: Kaizer Chiefs player Luke Fleurs’ murder suspects may be part of hijacking gang, court hears

The state opposed bail, with Sunday World reporting that state prosecutor Paseka Temeki told the court the six ran away from their homes just before being arrested.

Temeki claimed the suspects were protecting the real culprits, whom one of the suspects had allegedly been in contact with.

“This communication was to the effect that if the suspects get arrested, they must confess to the crime because if they do not, ‘their’ names will come out and they will also be arrested,” said Temeki.

Smith agreed with this and said it raised serious concerns.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the accused dismissed concerns the suspects may intimidate and tamper with evidence if released on bail. They argued they had not resisted arrest.

Fleurs: A talent gone too soon

Police said Fleurs was confronted by two armed suspects while waiting for assistance at a petrol station in Honeydew on 3 April.

The star was shot once in the upper body before a suspect fled in his red VW Golf 8 GTI and others followed in a getaway car.

ALSO READ: Motaung Jnr – Chiefs’ players wanted to pay tribute to fallen soldier Fleurs

Fleurs was rushed to the nearest medical centre, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The car was later found but stripped for parts.

“When the vehicle was recovered, it was already stripped. Police believe that the suspects are part of a syndicate that is responsible for car hijackings in Gauteng, and the search for more suspects is continuing,“ said Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo.

‘We had plans, but God had others’

Taking to social media after his death, Fleurs’ girlfriend Lailaa Craayenstein posted pictures of the couple together, along with the words: “We had plans, but God had others.”

“You come to realise that some things you haven’t accepted yet because there’s a thin line between accepting something and suppressing it.

“A thin line between overcoming something and avoiding it. A small window between today and tomorrow. And an even smaller window between checking up on someone or just passing the thought and not doing it at all. 

“I feel guilty, angry, frustrated, but most importantly, I feel powerless. There is nothing I can do besides figure out which side of the line is suppression or acceptance when it comes to the next step. I’m so sorry this world broke you,” the post read.

Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa and Cornelia Le Roux.