The lawyer representing the man accused of kidnapping and killing Johannesburg student Leigh Matthews has withdrawn from the case, the prosecution confirmed on Thursday.
Randburg senior prosecutor Pieter Erasmus said he had received a fax from Louis Weinstein on Wednesday indicating that he had withdrawn from the case.
He said no reasons were given for the withdrawal.
Donovan Moodley (24), who was arrested earlier this month, was expected to apply for bail in the Wynberg Regional Court on Friday.
Asked if the bail application will go ahead, Erasmus said he is not sure.
He said Moodley will still make his formal appearance, and Weinstein might give his reasons for his withdrawal during the hearing.
Moodley’s bail application depends on a number of factors, including whether he has another lawyer or if he chooses to represent himself during the hearing, Erasmus said.
The state will oppose bail.
Moodley, from Brackenfell, Alberton, was arrested in the town on October 4, after nearly three months of intensive police investigations.
He was a student at Bond University in Sandton, the same institution that Matthews attended.
Matthews disappeared from outside the university on July 9 — the day before a party was to be held to celebrate her 21st birthday.
Her body was found 12 days later by a municipal worker cutting grass in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg. She had been shot.
Weinstein was not immediately available for comment. — Sapa