AN officer of the police VIP protection unit and bodyguard to Deputy President Thabo Mbeki appeared in the Mamelodi Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday charged with murder. Sergeant Evans Modise (33) was released on R1000 bail and the case was postponed to January 21. Modise was arrested after Samuel Baloyi was beaten to death on New Year’s Day. Baloyi was walking with his nephew and stopped to urinate against the outside wall of a house, whereupon he was attacked, allegedly by the home owner. Modise has been suspended from duty, and an internal disciplinary hearing will determine whether he is fit to remain in the police.