Staff Reporter
The Free State High Court has dismissed Sekwetje Mahlamba’s leave to appeal the decision of the Senekal Magistrates Court not to grant him bail.
Mahlamba together with his co-accused, Sekola Matlaletsa, were charged for the murder of young farm manager Brendin Horner about two months ago.
Horner, 21, was found brutally killed at the beginning of October at De Rots Farm in Paul Roux, eastern Free State.
His body was tied to a pole and he is believed to have died from strangulation.
He had injuries to the face and stab wounds to the neck.
When the two men applied for bail, Magistrate Deon van Rooyen denied Mahlamba bail but released Matlaletsa on R5 000 bail.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement released on Friday that Mahlamba brought an application to the High Court in an attempt to overturn the decision of Van Rooyen to deny him bail.
“In his argument he stated that the magistrate erred on a point of law in denying him bail,” he said.
“The High Court passed judgment today concurring with the Senekal Magistrates Court in that Mahlamba did not provide enough facts to convince the court that it will be in the best interest of justice to release him on bail,” added Shuping, who speaks for the NPA in the Free State and the Northern Cape.
The application was heard in the High Court on Tuesday and the court reserved judgment until today.
The murder case against Mahlamba and Matlaletsa was postponed to January 21, 2021.