Pretoria cop murder case postponed

The murder case against two men accused of killing Pretoria Flying Squad police Constable Max Lekalakala has been postponed.

Pretoria - The Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday postponed the murder case against two men accused of killing the Pretoria Flying Squad police Constable Max Lekalakala during a shoot-out with police along N4 highway in March.

State Prosecutor Barbara Ndela asked that the matter against Lucky Madiba and Mpho Mohlala be postponed to June 28 to allow the State to receive the docket from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

According to Ndela, the docket was handed to the DPP for referral of the case to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria and it was not possible for her to proceed with the matter on Monday without this docket.

Defence lawyer, Advocate Steve Sekwele, representing Mohlala, argued that the State should proceed with the matter as this was the second time that the prosecution had requested that the case be postponed because they did not have access to the docket.

However, Magistrate Maryke de la Rey told Sekwele that his argument was not factual, as the matter has not been postponed before for “unavailability” of the docket, but had previously been postponed pending DNA results from the State forensic laboratory.

There was no opposition to the prosecution’s requested postponement from Legal Aid layer, Christinah Mabena, who is representing Madiba.

The magistrate then postponed the case to the requested date.

Sekwele said he was hopeful that at the next court date the State would be ready to proceed with case and that a High Court date could be set soon.

“I hope that when we come back here on the 28th of June, disclosures on the matter would be made and the case would be referred to the High Court for trial, although DNA tests normally take time to be analysed, I think on that date the State would have got these results as well.”

Madiba and Mohlala remain in custody and have not applied for bail on the charges which include murder, attempted murder, possession of unlicensed ammunition, possession of stolen cellphones, robbery with aggravating circumstances, using a vehicle without the owner’s consent, kidnapping and motor vehicle theft.

ANA