Accused in SARS official’s attempted murder to spend New Year in jail
Durban — The two suspected hitmen who have been charged for an assassination attempt on South African Revenue Services (SARS) forensic investigator Advocate Coreth Naude will celebrate New Year's Eve behind bars.
This after the Durban Magistrate's Court further postponed their case on Monday to 17 January next year. The request for the postponement was asked by the defence which met its clients for the first time and asked for more time to familarise itself with the case.
The State which had promised to provide detailed profiles of the suspects also asked for the postponement, saying it had not completed its bail investigation as it intended to oppose the bail application.
Siyanda Emmanuel Mbulwana, 29, and Mcebisi Runeyi, 28, were nabbed in Cape Town two weeks ago and briefly appeared at the Durban Magistrate’s Court last Monday.
On Monday, the State said the identity parade has been conducted on the suspects.
Last week, the State said it had already established that Runeyi was a fugitive who skipped bail and was sought by the police for a pending schedule 6 charge, however, no details of the charge were revealed. This was expected to strengthen the State’s fight against his bail application.
The two were arrested in Cape Town and charged for attempting to kill Naude in July. They also face a case of illegal firearm possession since the semi-automatic firearms were used during the attack on Naude.
On the day, Naude was driving into the Premier Hotel in Durban when she was ambushed by two armed men who opened fire on her.
The advocate managed to drive inside the hotel where she received emergency medical attention before she was rushed to hospital. The suspects were reported to have fled the scene in a silver Toyota Corolla, and the case was assigned to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime: Murder and Robbery Unit, which police said hit the ground running in search of clues and possible leads.
Police said their investigations led them to the Western Cape where they found the two suspects. It looks as though they were in hiding as they were found in Mitchells Plain and Milnerton, respectively. During their appearance last week, the suspects said they lived in Bellview Estates and Portland respectively, not where they were arrested.
At the time of the attempt on her life, Naude was investigating the alleged tax evasion case against provincial businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize.
A few weeks ago, the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit pounced on her posh properties and attached several assets, including expensive cars which were seen being towed away.
The attack on Naude was described by SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter as an attempt to intimidate SARS officers to abandon the vital work they were performing.
It was also widely condemned by the Ministry of Justice and other social justice groups who directly linked her attack to the tax evasion case she was investigating.
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Daily News