The North West woman accused of hiring two hitmen when she was only 16 to kill her policeman dad, mom, pregnant sister, and younger brother was on Wednesday granted bail along with her-co accused.
“Three accused, Tumelo Mokone (23), Kagiso Mokone (23), and Onthantile Sebati (20) were granted bail of R10 000 each by the Brits Magistrate’s Court earlier on Wednesday,” said Lumka Mahanjana, National Prosecution Authority North Gauteng Regional Spokesperson: Director of Public Prosecutions, Pretoria.
Outside the court, relatives who have previously raised concerns about Sebati’s mental state vowed they would not pay her bail.
Earlier, the report for Sebati’s psychiatric assessment was handed in court, and the assessment revealed that she was fit to stand trial.
All three accused face serious charges that included four counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, and theft.
The state accuses Sebati of conspiring with her co-accused to kill her family members at their home in Mmakau in the North West Province on 6 December 2016.
It alleged that Sebati went outside to dispose of water and she heard gunshots inside the house.
Sebati’s 42-year-old dad, 40-year-old mom, her 19-year-old pregnant sister, and 6-year-old baby brother were all shot dead.
During the bail proceedings, the state put on record that it had evidence of bank statements that show R100 000 was transferred from Sebati’s bank account to one of the Mokone’s.
Fingerprints of Mokone were also found on the car Sebati’s father owned, which they allegedly used as a getaway car after the killings.
The investigating officer testified in court that, the three accused submitted corroborating confessions statements stating the role they each played the night Sebati’s family was killed.
The state opposed the bail saying the crimes the accused faced were serious schedule 6 offences, and should they be found guilty they are likely to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Also, the state put on record that the accused persons were a danger to themselves, especially when considering the nature of the offences.
However, the magistrate granted them bail of R10 000 each with conditions that they should report to their closest police station every Monday and Friday in the morning and evening.
“They should not move from their addresses, should they decide to leave they should inform the investigating officer of where they are going and the duration of their stay,” said Mahanjana when explaining the bail conditions.
“Lastly, they should not contact each other directly or indirectly.”
The matter was postponed to 30 March 2022 for further investigations.
