The media were on Monday barred by the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court from taking pictures of a lieutenant colonel accused alongside crime intelligence boss Richard Mdluli of involvement in a love triangle murder that took place 12 years ago.
The order was as a result of an application by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“We don’t want it because it is an investigative concern to have his picture published and we hope you guys will respect that,” NPA spokesperson advocate Mthunzi Mhaga told journalists outside court.
The state planned on opposing bail, and even though it was a decade-old case the NPA was confident of a successful prosecution.
“We will present our grounds on Thursday … and based on evidential material, we believe we can sustain the charges.”
Wearing a grey hoody, 52-year-old Mtunzi-Omhle Mthembeni Mtunzi, who is attached to crime intelligence, stood in the dock.
The small courtroom had black security gates installed between the dock and the public gallery, which was filled to capacity.
The case was postponed to April 7 for a bail application.
Mtunzi would then appear alongside his co-accused, who are Mdluli, court orderly Samuel Dlomo, and Colonel Nkosana Sebastian Ximba.
The four allegedly killed Oupa Abel Ramogibe in 1999 and face charges including intimidation, kidnapping, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.
Mdluli is the only one facing an additional charge of defeating and/or obstructing the course of justice.
Death threats
Ramogibe allegedly received death threats after marrying Mdluli’s ex-lover and was told to leave her or he would be killed.
He had opened an attempted murder case before his death.
Mdluli, who was the station commissioner at the Vosloorus police station in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, was accused of sabotaging the investigation.
With his attorney present, he handed himself over to authorities on Thursday after a warrant for his arrest was issued.
The Mail & Guardian recently reported that the Hawks were further probing Mdluli and a colleague over allegations that they interfered with the investigation into Czech fraud accused Radovan Krejcir.
On Friday, Mhaga told the South African Press Association there was no link “in any way” between the Krejcir investigation and the Mdluli case. — Sapa