Johannesburg – Eight arrested Presidential Protection Unit members will remain behind bars after the Randburg Magistrates Court on Thursday postponed finalisation of their bail applications.
The court said it will finalise the bail applications next week on Tuesday, (1 August 2023). The State is opposing bail.
The accused – Johannes Mampuru, Joseph Mofokeng, Harmans Ramokhonami, Phineas Boshielo, Churchill Mkhize, Aggrie Rambau, and Moses Tshidada – are facing charges of pointing a firearm, assault, and malicious damage to property.
All the accused have been suspended from their jobs as bodyguards of Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
They were arrested on Sunday and will remain in police custody until their next court appearance.
Allegations are that earlier this month, the heavily armed VIP Protection Unit officers were caught on camera assaulting a motorist on the side of a highway.
In a video, which went viral on social media, the accused are seen exiting from two black BMW X5s and thereafter dragging a man, assumed to be the driver, out of his blue VW Polo before they started beating him until he was unconscious.
On Wednesday, the magistrate asked the accused men to remove their face masks for identification purposes.
Magistrate Hleziphi Mkhasibe initially ruled the men could keep their face masks on.
However, since the video of the assault will be played in court, they need to remove their face masks in order for the court to see what role each one allegedly played in the incident.
The defence objected to the flighting of the incriminating video in court as evidence because the source was unknown.
However, National Prosecuting Authority Spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the person who took the video was known to the State.
“The person who took the video will be one of the state witnesses, we are still trying to talk to the person but if we fail there are other ways of laws that will be used,” Mjonondwane said.
