The sonorous roar of his red gusheshe was the first sign of his arrival in court this morning.
Standup comedian and TV presenter Tumelo Matila (31) arrived at the Randburg Magistrate's Court early on the clear summery morning of 19 February 2024. Punctilious and hard to miss in his scarlet BMW 3-Series, he was one of the first to find a seat at the back of the courtroom where his matter was being heard.
Not long after, he was asked to approach the dock.
He is facing two counts of assault and pointing of a firearm. He is accused of assaulting and pointing an alleged firearm at his alleged ex-girlfriend, Thando Ngemane, and her friend, Tsholofelo Kgosimotho.
At the time of the alleged incident, he and Thando were reportedly no longer a couple.
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He allegedly threatened to kill Thando and her friend, who opposed bail at first and later withdrew from opposing bail.
It is the state's case that when his then-girlfriend ended their relationship, they allegedly got into an argument that resulted in him allegedly assaulting both his girlfriend and her friend.
State prosecutor Advocate Zamokuhle Zimu proceeded to tell Magistrate L. Etchell that the matter had been postponed for consultation. However, the comedian's consultation with Legal Aid attorney, Ms Mxoli, hadn’t happen as scheduled, as the comedian had suffered a bereavement.
The matter was therefore postponed, giving the defence time to consult with the accused.
Tumelo, popularly known as Tumi Stopnonsons, scurried out as soon as court was adjourned, refusing to speak take questions from media, and drove away.
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In the previous appearance, Ms Mxoli confirmed that she received the copies of documents for the case and that she needed time to consult. Stopnonsons was granted bail for R2000.
An interim order and harassment order were also granted against him when the bail was set in August. The court ordered that there shouldn’t be any contact between him and both complainants.
The comedian is also prohibited from contacting Thando on social media, according to the conditions of the protection order and harassment orders.
Magistrate Etchell instructed that he remain out on bail and that his bail conditions remain the same.
“Mr Matila you are advised to come back to court in March, you are still out on bail and the bail conditions remain the same. You must be early, failure to appear in court will to the application of a warrant of arrest.”
