Court revokes bail for 6 SANDF members accused of murder, kidnapping

The Johannesburg high court has revoked the bail of six of the 12 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members accused of involvement in the alleged kidnapping of Abdella Abadiga and Kadir Jemal Abotese at the Mall of Africa in December 2022.

The accused are also facing charges relating to the murder of Hawks investigator Lt-Col Frans Mathipa on August 6 2023.

“The ruling follows a successful application by the state for leave to appeal … against the decision of the Randburg regional court magistrate to grant bail to 12 of the accused,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said on Friday.

In its judgment, the high court ordered that accused one to six be remanded and report to prison on January 23 after finding that the grounds advanced for them to remain on bail were unsatisfactory.

“Bail for the accused, seven to 12, has been extended, subject to the same conditions previously imposed by the court,” Mahanjana said.

All accused are expected to appear before the Randburg magistrate’s court on January 30 for further investigation and continuation of proceedings.

The Sunday Times reported Mathipa had been investigating the abduction of alleged Isis leader Abadiga from the Mall of Africa in Johannesburg and was looking into suspicions that South African military special forces were involved.

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