Chaos near the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court.
By Jeanette Tshabalala, News24
- On Monday, seven EMPD officers appeared before the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court.
- They face a number of charges, including murder and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
- Chaos broke out outside the court when police had to use stun grenades to disperse the protesters.
Police officers used stun grenades to disperse a group of protesters outside the Tsakane Magistrates Court where seven officers from the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Division were appearing in connection with the fatal shooting.
The protesters, who were present in support of the deceased, also broke the gate of the court and broke the glass of the entrance door to the court building.
It happened during the hearing of the seven men’s bail application in Courtroom 2.
There was a loud crash outside the court gallery and the prosecution asked: “Are we safe?”
But an officer standing by the door assured the court that everyone was safe and said police had used stun grenades to disperse the crowd.
Chaos in the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court.
News24
However, due to other matters, the seven officers had to postpone the stay petitions to September 27 and 29.
Officers allegedly raided a shack in Langaville, Extension 6, where a 19-year-old man was shot dead and a 29-year-old man was wounded on Thursday.
The officers: Laurence Daniel Venter, 49, Nkululeka Walter Mthethwa, 36, Daniel Eric van Wyk, 39, Gideon Johannes Myburgh, 60, Justin Sibusisa Ncube, 50, Tamodran Pillai, 50, and Eugene Philip Raubenheimer, 62. years.
In his bail application, Venter told the court he had been an officer for more than a decade.
He spoke about his personal circumstances, including the fact that he is married and has three children.
Venter also lives with his 73-year-old mother.
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He said he had no passport or family living outside South Africa.
Venter told the court that he had a kidney transplant three years ago.
According to his testimony, some of the gallery insulted him, with one saying, “He’s talking nonsense.”
Another, who speaks Zulu, said: “He makes me angry.”
Venter will continue his testimony later this month. The seven men are charged with murder, attempted murder, assault causing grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.
They were detained on Friday and Saturday after surrendering.
The defense had previously told the court that Raubenheimer had been charged with malicious damage to property and will appear at Boksburg Magistrates’ Court on September 23.
News24 reported that Independent Police Investigation Agency spokeswoman Lizzie Suping said officers found four men during the raid.
They are believed to have attacked two men in a shack, after which shots were fired.
One person was taken to the hospital, and the incident was reported to the Tsakane police station. Later it turned out that one of the men was thrown behind the shack.
A post-mortem examination was carried out at the Spring Pathology Service on Friday, Suping said.
