Zandspruit mob justice: Accused's lawyer not ready, case postponed

• The bail application of six people, allegedly involved in the death of eight people in Zandspruit, has been postponed.
• A lawyer told the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court he was not ready to proceed.
• The accused are facing charges of murder, kidnapping and attempted murder.

Six people accused of participating in the killing of eight young men in Zandspruit are facing charges of murder.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, said Tebogo Mabula, Mziwamangware Witbooi, Njabulo Zwane, Phakisa Tsengiwe, Maxwell Mpofu and Klaas Masemola, are being charged with a schedule 6 offence.

The matter was set down for a formal bail application on Wednesday.

However, the accused's lawyer, Martin Gede, told the magistrate, Ruby Mathys, he was not ready to proceed.

Gede asked for a postponement to prepare for a formal bail application.

"We have prepared ourselves to respond to their bail application. The applicants must first state their case before we can respond. We can't pre-empt whether the court will grant or deny the applicants bail," Mjonondwane said.

"Ours is to present relevant evidence to the court, for it to decide. We can confirm that investigation into the matter continues. According to the information we have received, more arrests are imminent."

The accused covered their faces, but appeared calm; they greeted their relatives in the gallery.

They were arrested following a mob justice incident.

On 17 May, a large group of residents rounded up nine young men from their homes in Zandspruit.

The nine were severely assaulted and later set alight by the mob.

Four died at the scene, four succumbed in hospital, and one survived the brutal ordeal.

The case has been postponed to 23 June.