The Western Cape directorate for public prosecutions is to decide the fate of Zimbabwean student Tinashe Rioga (21), who allegedly tried to hijack a South African Airways (SAA) flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg in June last year.
The Bellville Regional Court in Cape Town was informed of this on Friday, when Rioga appeared before magistrate Johan Vermaak, following a month of observation at the Valkenberg psychiatric hospital.
Defence attorney Leon van der Merwe told the court Rioga’s psychiatric assessment had not yet been completed, and he asked for a two-week postponement to await it.
Vermaak, however, insisted on a definite date when the report would be completed, and Friday’s proceedings were delayed for about an hour while Van der Merwe telephoned the hospital.
When the hearing resumed, Van der Merwe said the assessment, comprising three separate reports, had just been faxed to Bellville senior prosecutor Ronel de Jager.
The prosecutor dealing with the case in court, Mandile Bailey, told the court De Jager had forwarded the assessment to the directorate for public prosecutions, where state advocate Paul van der Merwe would make a decision about Rioga’s fate by January 26.
The assessment indicates whether Rioga is fit to stand trial, but this will only be disclosed when it is handed to the court next Friday.
Rioga was remanded to Goodwood prison. He faces a main charge of jeopardising the safety of aircraft passengers in flight as well as a second count of assault, in which he is alleged to have attacked an air hostess with a syringe and demanded access to the cockpit.
At his bail hearing, investigating officer Superintendent Lungisile Manyana told the court: ”Rioga didn’t request access to the cockpit; he demanded that the cockpit be unlocked. He told the hostess, ‘If you don’t open that fucking door, I will kill you.”’
The alleged incident happened in June last year, and caused the flight to return to Cape Town.
The bail hearing was told passengers, including an off-duty pilot, rushed to the hostess’s rescue and managed to overpower Rioga. — Sapa