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Bellarmine Mugabe appears in the Alexandra Magistrate Court.
Bellarmine Mugabe and his co-accused, Tobias Matonhdze, have abandoned their bail application.
The two are accused of shooting a 23-year-old gardener at the Mugabe residency in Hyde Park, Johannesburg, in February.
The case has been transferred to the regional court for plea negotiation.
The pair appeared at the Alexandra Magistrate Court on Wednesday morning on charges of attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, possession of a firearm and contravening the Immigration Act.
Their legal representative, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, says, “We all understand the processes about applying for bail and the fact that one of the averments you need to make is that you’re not a flight risk. So at this point, we want to deal with the matter and its merits.”
Mnguni says, “I think everyone present at court saw that we postponed the matter for possible plea negotiations with the state and to try and deal with this matter, with the seriousness that it deserves.”
Mnguni responded to the state, accusing Mugabe and Matonhdze of being in the country illegally.
“You say they are illegal, but it’s still just an allegation, it’s still a charge, it hasn’t been dealt with yet. So we are going to take instructions on that, of course, once it’s been brought to your attention, it does make it challenging with regards to bail, but it’s a conviction, so it’s something that we are going to take instructions on.”
Video | Mugabe and co-accused appear in court following shooting incident:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_K-b7MVi-E
Additional reporting by Diteboho Ntimane.
