A man appeared in the Dundee Magistrate’s Court on Friday in connection with the murder of famed Anglo-Zulu historian David Rattray.
Members of the public, as well as the media, were cleared from the small courtroom before the case was to be heard.
However, the strong media contingent complained that there had been no application made for the case to be heard in camera.
Magistrate Vivian Hlatshwayo, saying that he understood the concerns of the police, ordered that the case would not be heard in camera. He barred the media from publishing any images of the man or revealing the man’s identity.
”This is an open court. I cannot allow proceedings to be in camera.”
The state had argued that the presence of the public and the media threatened the state’s case as well as ongoing police investigations, which could lead to the arrest of four other men.
Rattray was gunned down in his Fugitive’s Drift home in front of his wife Nicky. Six men are alleged to have been involved in the attack. Two men, including the unidentified man who appeared in the Dundee Magistrate’s Court, were arrested on Wednesday.
The second man was due to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court later on Friday, although police did not reveal any details. It is believed that the man will plead guilty to the murder or turn state witness.
In the Dundee Magistrate’s Court, the unnamed man appeared in court with a light grey blanket over him.
The case was postponed for seven days to allow police time to investigate further and hold an identification parade.
There was no application made for bail.
During proceedings, Hlatshwayo ordered a South African Broadcasting Corporation cameraman to leave the court because he was filming proceedings.
The accused was whisked away under his blanket by members of the police’s Organised Crime Unit in a car. — Sapa