NATIONAL NEWS - A man who was shot while trying to flee during a shootout with police at Camps Drift, near the Duzi River, two weeks ago has died in hospital.
This was confirmed by the investigating officer detective Warrant Officer Ablon Majozi of SAPS Alexandra Road Detective Services in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Majozi was giving evidence as three men linked to a string of robberies in the Scottsville area appeared in court.
The men — Thalente Felix Ngubo (30), Nathaniel Thabiso van Roos (23), and Ntokozo Madlala (30) — were arrested two weeks ago.
Another accused in the matter, Mlondi Mdunge (39), was absent when the three men appeared in court last week Monday, as he was in hospital after being shot.
The men are facing charges of robbery, possession of firearms and ammunition, and attempted murder.
Majola told the court that Mdunge had since died in hospital.
In court on Monday, Van Roos and Madlala abandoned their bail applications, whilst Ngubo proceeded with his bail application.
In his application, Ngubo pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Opposing bail, the state then brought Majola to the stand where he gave evidence of what had happened.
Majola said on September 16 around 2 pm, Ngubo was one of the four men in the car which was driven by Van Roos.
He said a police officer who was travelling in a car noticed a suspicious vehicle and decided to follow it.
He said the police officer tried to stop the vehicle but was unsuccessful until backup stopped the car on French Road.
Majola said the car the four men were travelling in matched the description of the car that was alleged to have been involved in armed robberies in Pelham and Westgate earlier.
He said the description had been posted on a WhatsApp group.
Majola said after they were stopped on French Road, two men got out of the vehicle and started running towards the river.
He said police officers chased the suspects, who then started shooting at the police.
“The police retaliated and shot one suspect [Mdunge]. He was taken to hospital and the other three suspects were arrested on the scene. The cell phone belonging to the complainant was found in the car that was being driven by the accused. The state is opposed to [Ngubo] being released on bail because the complainant is not safe at all.”
I have engaged the complainant in this matter and she has told me that since she was robbed outside her house, the accused knows where she stays and thus she fears for her life. There are also fears that if released on bail, the accused might escape because when police tried to stop them, they ran away. He also did not give the correct residential address when he was arrested.
The matter was postponed to Wednesday for the magistrate’s bail decision and all the accused were remanded in custody.
In court, it was established that Ngubo has a pending case of malicious damage to property, following an incident that took place last year.
A warrant of arrest was brought for him upon his arrest, and he also appeared in another courtroom and was reminded in custody in that matter, pending his bail application on October 4.
Article: Caxton publication, The Witness
