Vereeniging

The case against six people accused of murdering three laundry workers was struck off the roll at the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on Monday due to insufficient evidence against the accused. ”The big problem is that the case has been dealt with in a very, very amateurish way,” the magistrate said.

The case against three men, accused of murdering four-year-old Makgabo Matlala and gang-raping her 57-year-old nanny, was on Tuesday postponed in the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court to March 23 for a bail hearing. All five benches at court number two were full of people from Lenasia and Vereeniging.

Chaos erupted outside the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning when six people accused of murdering three laundry workers were released on bail. Emotions ran high outside the courtroom, with black protesters dancing in the streets and throwing stones at the cars of family members of the white accused.

The four laundry-murder accused were denied bail as their supporting evidence was unconvincing, the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court ruled on Friday. ”The accused will stay in custody for further investigation,” said magistrate Annetjie Pretorius, prompting a joyous response from family and friends of the deceased.

Three female employees of a dry-cleaning operation were put one by one and still alive into a large washing machine containing chemicals before being tied up and strangled, the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court heard on Wednesday. The grizzly details of the murders were laid out by investigating officer Inspector Sello Molapisi.

Workers called to clean up blood were witnesses to the murder of three employees of Protea Dry Cleaners, the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court heard on Tuesday. Opposing a bail application by the four accused, investigating officer Inspector Sello Molapisi said he believed the state had a strong case.

The father of 10-year-old kidnap victim Liam Aspeling was shot and wounded while in a witness-protection programme, the Vereeniging Regional Court heard on Friday. Vernon Aspeling is a state witness in the Cape High Court trial of a group of people facing 28 charges, including robbery and kidnapping.

Further information relating to one of the four alleged kidnappers of Liam Aspeling (10) will be presented at the four’s next appearance in the Vereeniging Regional Court on Friday. The four men had expected to apply for bail on Wednesday, but the investigating officer and two files relating to the case had arrived too late for adequate preparation.

The five Sedibeng district municipality residents who were earlier reported to have typhoid are not critically ill, the council’s executive mayor Mlungisi Hlongwane said on Sunday after a meeting with President Thabo Mbeki, who visited the area on Sunday and spoke to officials about problems such as corruption and housing.