3 more arrests for slain DA councillor, partner

12 September 2016

Cape Town - Three more people have appeared in court in connection with the murders of Democratic Alliance councillor Johannes Baatjies and his business partner, the Northern Cape Hawks said on Monday.

The men, aged 33 to 49, were arrested last week and appeared in the Postmasburg Magistrate's Court, Captain Philani Nkwalase said.

The matter was referred to the Danielskuil Magistrate’s Court, where they will appear again with Zonisele Magawu.

Charles Thompson Mpondomisa, Matthews Legodu and Richard Hasana would remain in custody until their bail application with Magawu on September 22.

Baatjies, 49, was shot in the head and upper body on the eve of being sworn in as a Kgatelopele municipality councillor after the August 3 local government elections. He was found dead on the main road between Danielskuil and Postmasburg on August 17.

His business partner Shuping Nosi, who was also shot, died in hospital.

Candidate nominations

Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi said at the time that preliminary investigations revealed Baatjies was “unsuspectingly lured into a death trap”.

DA Northern Cape leader Andrew Louw said the murder was politically motivated.

Baatjies won the seat for the DA in Ward 2. His murder left the small council hung, with three councillors in the African National Congress, and three in a coalition between two DA councillors, including Baatjies, and two Kgatelopele Community Forum councillors.

Independent Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) spokesperson in the province, Bonolo Modise, said a by-election would be held on November 9.

“We wrote to the MEC last week to proclaim the by-election. He has to publicise it in the Government Gazette,” he said on Monday.

They had not yet closed candidate nominations.

Magawu and Mpondomisa were also appearing in court on Monday (September 12) for another matter.

They were charged with housebreaking and theft, after six firearms were allegedly stolen from a farm near Danielskuil in November.

It was not clear whether the firearms were linked to the councillor's shooting.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.