SANDILE Mbatha briefly appeared in the Joburg High Court on Thursday, 19 October for pre-trial.
He faces charges of kidnapping, assault, attempted murder and murder.
The 30-year-old is accused of killing two Soweto young men, Tshidiso Ramatlo (18) and Katleho Letseli (25) early in 2023 for allegedly stealing VW polo lights.
While conducting the pre-trial case, the court revealed that the accused had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case was postponed to 26 February 2024 for the trial to begin, and the bail for the accused is extended until that date.
Katleho's gogo, Mookho, told Daily Sun that the case always brings about mixed emotions for her.
“It seems as if the whole process will take time, but that’s fine. Maybe then the accused will tell the truth about what happened because he's saying that he's innocent on all charges. He is denying everything, and this really breaks my heart.
“I’m in pain. Those children he killed were good boys, running their car wash. I was so used to them. I've never heard anything bad about them or received a bad report,” said gogo Mookho.
ALSO READ| Ex-Kaizer Chiefs goalie's R40 salary!
She said it will take time for her to forget what happened, but she believes the law will take its course and the truth will eventually come out.
Katleho’s mum, Pertunia, said she is happy she can finally see the light in this case.
“I can now see where the case is heading. There's light. I'll be content once the accused gets the judgment that he deserves. It will make me much happier to see the accused rot in jail. I don’t have peace. Losing a child in that manner is very painful and unbearable,” said Pertunia.
Katleho and Tshidiso were working at a pavement car wash on Immink Road in Soweto on 21 January 2023 when they were accused of stealing the lights from a VW Polo.
