Taxi rank shooting: bail bid postponed
The bail application of 11 men accused of taking part in the fatal Brook Street taxi rank shooting in Durban has been postponed.
|||Durban - The bail application of 11 men accused of taking part in last week’s fatal Brook Street minibus taxi rank shooting in Durban was postponed to allow the State to obtain more evidence.
Magistrate Vanitha Armu ruled on Wednesday that the State could have more time and that the bail hearing should be held on September 30 and October 1.
The 11 men each face three charges of murder, two of attempted murder, and one of public violence.
They were arrested in the aftermath of the shooting at the taxi rank near Durban’s Berea Road railway station. A pedestrian, a security guard, and a man are believed to have been killed in the shooting.
Prosecutor Khumbu Shazi told the court the men faced Schedule 6 offences.
In terms of a Schedule 6 offence, a court is only entitled to grant bail where an accused can show exceptional circumstances as to why he should be released.
Shazi asked for more time for investigations so that the State could properly prepare to oppose the bail application.
She said police were working with the provincial transport department to determine which of the accused men belonged to the Sonke Long Distance Taxi association which had been interdicted by the High Court from operating from the Brook Street taxi rank.
The Zamokuhle Long Distance Taxi Association and the Sonke association have been at odds over the route between Port Shepstone and Durban.
Sonke, which is run by President Jacob Zuma’s nephews Mfundo and Mandla Gcaba, have reportedly been muscling in on routes operated by Zamokuhle.
Jimmy Howse, for the accused, argued that when the men had previously appeared in court, they had been informed it was a Schedule 5 offence which required the State to prove that they should not be released on bail pending the outcome of their trial.
A 12th accused, who according to Howse had been shot in the buttocks and upper leg, could not appear as he was undergoing an operation to remove the bullets.
“These are extremely serious charges indeed,” said Armu, who added that she found the State’s request to be a reasonable one.
The court was packed to capacity with family and relatives of the accused, and there was a heavy police presence.
Shazi was escorted from the court to her car by members of the police’s tactical response team.
Initially, 24 people were arrested following the shooting, but charges against 12 of them were withdrawn.
ANA