Magistrate Desmond Nair on Wednesday set down five days for the murder trial of Blue Bulls rugby player Jacobus Stephanus “Bees” Roux, starting on August 1 at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
Roux appeared at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, where his legal team acknowledged receipt of the indictment as well as a summary of substantial facts.
“You will be indicted in the high court on a charge of murder on a matter that occurred on August 27 2010,” Nair said to Roux. Roux has been charged for the murder of metro policeman Ntshimane Johannes Mogale in Pretoria last year.
Straight after Roux’s appearance at the court, the trio accused of stealing two of Roux’s credit cards at the scene of the murder — Vusimuzi Ntloko, Thabang Mokwele and Bhekizizwe Mbele — also appeared before magistrate Nair.
The trio will appear again in court on March 17 to give their pleas. It was reported that according to the charge sheet in this case, R3Â 798 was spent at Makro in Hatfield on August 27. Further transactions were made amounting to R4Â 500.
Timeline
August 27 2010: Bees Roux is allegedly stopped in connection with drunken driving and is later arrested for allegedly beating a metro policeman, Ntshimane Johannes Mogale, to death. Roux spends the weekend in jail.
August 30 2010: Roux appears at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court where his defence counsel asks for R5Â 000 bail. The state in turn asks for R20Â 000 due to the nature of the crime, saying Roux is accused of a schedule six offence because a law enforcement officer was involved. Roux is later granted R100Â 000 bail. The court hears that Roux intends pleading not guilty to charges of murder and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Radio 702 reports Rudi Krause, Roux’s lawyer, saying that his client was never arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, nor were any tests conducted to prove this.
August 31 2010: Roux is placed on leave by the Blue Bulls.
September 3 2010: Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says the national rugby team supports Roux “not on the deed, but on the circumstances that led to the situation developing”, a statement that sees him being criticised by the Young Communist League, the South African Rugby Union, and then-minister of sport Makhenkesi Stofile.
October 15 2010: Roux appears at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court, where the case is postponed to allow for further investigation.
December 10 2010: Nair grants an order that the R100Â 000 bail be converted to a guarantee for which Krause’s firm would be liable if Roux does not honour his bail conditions.
February 23 2011: Magistrate Nair sets the date the trial date at the North Gauteng High Court from August 1 to 5.