Two more arrested for murder of SANDF soldier in Cape Town
5 September 2019
A fifth person has been arrested and joins a minor and three adults who are accused of murdering SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Staff Sergeant Michael Njomane.
The fifth person appeared in the Blue Downs District Court for the first time on Thursday, following the discovery of Njomane's burnt body in the boot of a government vehicle in August.
Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk told News24 that the 25-year-old man was arrested at his parents' home in Blue Downs on Tuesday afternoon.
The three people, including the minor, have already appeared in court and last Friday, the police's serious and violent crimes unit arrested the fourth person – a 27-year-old man – at a house in Malibu Village. He made his first appearance on Monday, September 2.
On Thursday, the court granted News24 access to proceedings on condition that the youth was not identified.
None of the other accused may be named at this stage, the court ordered.
The child's mother sat in front of the dock as Magistrate Carmen Wyngaard checked the status of each of the accused's legal representation and whether they would be applying for bail.
The child, who is understood to be 15 years old, and the 25-year-old, who was the most recent to be arrested, are to apply for bail on September 19.
The other three have opted not to apply for bail and will appear before the magistrate via an audio-visual link from prison on November 13.
No details of Njomane's final moments were revealed on Thursday. Instead, the focus was on establishing whether everybody had legal representation and whether bail applications would be brought.
Two of the accused have opted to speak for themselves, turning down an offer for Legal Aid representation, and a third has appointed a private lawyer.
The five stood in the dock throughout the deliberations and no members of the public were allowed into the courtroom due to the appearance of the minor, who will be sent back to a place of safety in the interim.
The accused face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping.
