The pre-trial hearing of 14 people was held on Friday, January 28. They stand accused of beating and setting alight nine young Zandspruit men in an apparent vigilante attack last year.
The 13 men and a woman appeared before Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng on eight counts of murder, nine of kidnapping, and two of attempted murder.
Also read: Nine suspected criminals set on fire in Zandspruit
The Gauteng High Court heard that the trial could not get underway as the majority of the accused had not yet secured legal representation. After ten of the accused had told the court they wanted legal aid representation, their matter was postponed to allow them to secure such representation.
Senior Advocate Martin Gede represented Tebogo Mabula, Phakisa Tsengiwe, Klaas Masemola and Alfred Mollo.
Out of the 14 accused, Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court previously granted bail to Phakisa Tsengiwe, Phillimon Seemela and Phiwe Khubeka as they were found to be bound to the court’s jurisdiction by family and work.
Mabula, Mziwamangware Witbooi, Njabulo Zwane, Masemola, Joshua Mabotze, Mollo, Peter Mufomadi, Douglas Tshuma and Charles Ramoshia were all denied bail, while Maxwell Mpofu and Everyone Moyo abandoned their bail applications.
During the evening of May 18 until the next morning a group of men and women from the Zandspruit community acted in concert by raiding the residences of a number of young men.
The men were kidnapped and assaulted in full view of families and friends, and later taken to a soccer field where nine of the victims were further assaulted and set alight.
Those who witnessed the horrific crime included children on their way to school and adults on their way to work.
