THE employee of the Sibanye-Stillwater mine in Westonaria, Gauteng, who allegedly stabbed his colleague to death before taking a selfie next to the victim’s body, has abandoned bail.
Boinehelo Lefefa (43) appeared in the Westonaria Magistrates Court on Thursday, 23 November.
The mineworker has been linked to the murder of his colleague, Alcino Macovo (51), a Mozambican national, on Thursday, 9 November, at Leseding Hostel.
Speaking on behalf of Lefefe, defence lawyer Advocate Lwazi Mzinyathi, who approached his client in court, said Lefefe would like to abandon bail for now.
The state prosecutor, who did not dismiss the request, put forward a new date for the matter to go in next year, 2024.
Speaking outside court, Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Phindi Mjonondwane confirmed the postponement of the case to next year and hopes this will give them enough time to conclude their investigations.
“The matter has been postponed to 30 January 2023. By then we would have finalised all the states investigation and move to the next stage of disclosing the contents of the docket to the defence so they can prepare for the trial,” Mjonondwane said.
She said at this current moment, they have reached the advanced stages of the investigation.
The gruesome video footage, which Daily Sun has seen and has, shows the man raising his arm and allegedly stabbing his victim.
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According to information gathered by Daily Sun, Lefafe and the victim allegedly had a historical conflict which dates back to June 2023.
The conflict, which allegedly turned physical, saw the accused with an injury to the eye.
Angered by how the alleged assault had been handled at work, Lefafe allegedly took matters into his own hands earlier this month.
Detailing the kind of person Lefefe is, former colleague Isaac Makgale said he was a cool person who was always willing to lend a helping when needed at work.
Isaac, a mine worker in Thabazimbi, Limpopo, said he travelled to Gauteng to make sure that the person accused of murder was indeed his colleague Lefefe.
He told Daily Sun how shocked he was to see him because he had always known him as a "cool guy".
“I felt pity for what he did…I didn’t expect he would do this. My heartfelt [was broken when] I saw I saw him. I came from Thabazimbi.
“I wanted to witness him myself to make sure that really it’s the same person and not a look alike when I saw it was him, I couldn’t believe it,” Isaac.
