• A water shortage forced the court to adjourn the bail application of men accused of a deadly church attack.
• The bail application was adjourned by magistrate Gavin Pillay until Wednesday, 29 July.
• Advocate Barry Roux, who represents 23 of the accused, claimed his clients were wrongfully implicated by the police.

A water shortage has forced the Westonaria Magistrate's Court to adjourn the bail application of men accused of the deadly attack on the International Pentecost Holiness Church on the West Rand of Johannesburg.

The bail application was adjourned by magistrate Gavin Pillay until Wednesday.

Earlier, the court heard lawyers representing some of the accused claiming that their clients were innocent.

Advocate Barry Roux, who represents 23 of the accused, claimed that his clients were wrongfully implicated by the police.

France Mphatswe, who represented 17, told Pillay his clients would plead not guilty and that they, too, were wrongfully arrested by police.

On 11 July, four people were found shot and burnt to death in a car.

A fifth victim, a security guard, was shot and killed in his car while apparently attending to a complaint outside the church's headquarters in Zuurbekom.

The church came under heavy fire from a heavily armed group, who stormed the premises and opened fire at people inside the church.

Advocate Barry Roux in the Westonaria Magistrate's Court.

Ntwaagae Seleka

The violent act stems from a succession battle between splinter groups now before the court. 

In February 2016, the church's leader, Bishop Glayton M Modise, died.

The church was founded in 1962 by his father, Reverend Frederick S Modise. Known to church members as "Moemedi", "Ntate" and "Comforter", Reverend Frederick S Modise died in 1998 and was buried at the Zuurbekom church headquarters, Drum previously reported.

The church is now led by the founder's grandson, Frederick LG Modise.

Bail

By the end of 28 July, Pillay had heard 22 applications for bail, brought by the accused.

The bulk of the applicants claimed to be security officers employed by a single security company, who were reporting for duty when they were stopped by the police and arrested.

The applicants claimed the firearms in their possession belonged to their employer.

Some said they had barely been employed by the company when they were rounded up and arrested.

The owner of the security company was also arrested along with his employees.

The man claimed he was told by his employees they had been arrested for possession of company firearms.

"I called my lawyer, who is a friend and a fellow congregant at the church, and we were both arrested. I didn't have a motive to commit any crime," he said.

Among the accused was a Soweto-based police officer, who is also being represented by Roux.

Roux said the policeman was employed as a detective warrant officer at Protea police station.

The policeman was arrested along with two of his friends.

Roux claimed that four of his clients who had applied for bail were not linked to the offences either by fingerprints, DNA or gunfire residue.