A SECOND bail bid by one of Hillary Gardee’s alleged murderers has failed.
Sipho Mkhatshwa was denied bail by the Nelspruit Magistrates Court in Mpumalanga yesterday, 19 December, and the case was postponed to 11 April.
The 39-year-old is facing charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition as well as defeating the ends of justice.
He was arrested in May after the 28-year-old’s body was found dumped near a timber plantation outside Mbombela. She was reported missing on 30 April.
ALSO READ:‘New facts’ in Gardee murder case!
Mkhatshwa, who was denied bail in August, re-opened his application in October, citing new facts.
Magistrate Eddie Hall said there were no new facts.
Meanwhile, Philemon Lukhele’s bail hearing was rolled over to today, 20 December, after investigating officer Colonel Thamsanqa Mkhaliphi told the court that he was not ready to proceed.
Testifying at Lukhele’s bail hearing on 15 December, ANC Mpumalanga Legislature Chief Whip Fidel Mlombo said: Lukhele had not been subjected to any disciplinary hearings prior to his arrest.
He told the court he started working with Lukhele in 2019.
“Philemon is the third in command in the office, it has always been expected of him to lead by example as a senior manager. “He has never been in the wrong since I joined the office,” he said. “Lukhele is still in the employ of the office of the chief whip, however, he is on suspension.
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“We cannot proceed with the disciplinary process in his absentia. We are waiting for him to come out.”
“When we took a decision to suspend him, we were of the view that he either gets bail and comes back for all the other processes or he will be found guilty and never come back.”
