Lawyers for a local media house have applied to the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court for permission to broadcast the proceedings of the bail application on Sandile Mantsoe’s case.
This follows last month’s barring of journalists from reporting or live-tweeting the proceedings.
Mantsoe is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Karabo Mokoena and he appeared briefly on 9 June before Magistrate Carlo Labuschagne for his bail application.
His case was postponed to 23 June after one of the local media houses applied for a motion to argue the banning of the media to broadcast the bail proceedings.
Speaking directly to Mantsoe, Labuschagne said, “I don’t like to delay your bail application but because the Times Media group has applied for a motion to broadcast the proceedings, I, by law, have to make considerations.
“By delaying this it will be to infringe on your right as the accused, however, we will have to hear the arguments first on June 23.”
Labuschagne told the court that there would be two proceedings, the first being the media application and the second, the bail application.
National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane confirmed that both the media and bail applications will be heard on the same day.
Read: Mantsoe in court again today
“We will first hear the arguments from the lawyers of the media house and the proceedings of the bail application will follow.”
Mantsoe is facing charges of premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice after the charred body of his ex-girlfriend, Mokoena, was found dumped in a shallow grave in Lyndhurst on 29 April.
Last month, Mantsoe, in an affidavit read in court, made extraordinary claims about how his 22-year-old girlfriend of seven months had died. He admitted to dumping and burning her body.
Details: www.npa.gov.za
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