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SANDF members during a parade.
The Randburg Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg is expected to deliver judgment today in the bail application of 12 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Special Task Force members accused of the murder of Hawks investigator Frans Mathipa.
Last week, both the defence and the state presented their closing arguments.
The 12 are also charged with the alleged kidnapping of an Ethiopian national and alleged ISIS leader, Abdella Abadiga, and his bodyguard in December 2022.
Mathipa was reportedly investigating Abadiga’s disappearance when he was gunned down in August 2023.
Related video | Bail of 12 SANDF members continues:
The state has opposed bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations that the 12 face, emphasising that they are highly trained military personnel and if they are released on bail, it could endanger witnesses.
An affidavit from the Hawks Investigating Officer probing the matter was read into the record, where he said that he has been receiving threats.
However, the lawyers for the accused have argued that most of them are breadwinners and their families depend on them.
The lawyers further submitted that as SANDF officials, they serve South Africa and its interests and will never betray the country by evading trial.
The presiding magistrate is expected to deliver her judgment on the bail applications today.
Lieutenant Colonel Frans Mathipa was attached to the HAWKS and was a lead detective responsible for investigating crimes against the state. He was shot and killed while driving along the N1 highway near the Hamanskraal Toll Plaza in August 2023. He will be remembered on 01 SEPT pic.twitter.com/0tBNlFAo8j
— Athlenda Mathe (@AthlendaM) August 19, 2024
