Two women linked to fatal Wynberg court shooting denied bail
Shireen Matthews, the alleged mastermind in the killing of Dingalomoya Chintso, and alleged gun smuggler, Wanay Farao, appeared in front of a magistrate on Thursday.
They are the only accused, out of five, who chose to apply for bail in this matter.
ALSO READ:
• Wynberg court shooting: NPA to oppose bail for 5 accused
• Wynberg court shooting: Police confident they've arrested both gunmen
Chintso, a taxi operator from Vrygrond, was shot and killed inside the courthouse after appearing in court for a murder case.
Delivering judgment at the Wynberg Magistrate Court, the magistrate agreed with the prosecution that, if granted bail, the pair would attempt to flee trial.
The court heard that both accused were on the run and evading police after the 8 April shooting.
The magistrate also ruled that lawyers for the two accused did not provide the court with exceptional circumstances to permit their release on bail.
"In other words, both applicants have not discharged the onus set upon them in terms of section 60 (11a) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1997. In the result, the bail applications of both first and second applicant is denied."
All five accused will remain behind bars, and the case has been postponed to 19 September for further investigation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
Bloemfontein woman convicted after pitbull kills young boy
A 43-year-old woman from Bloemfontein has been convicted after her Pitbull mauled an 8-year-old boy to death. The Bloemfontein Regional Court found Keabetswe Moroane guilty of culpable homicide. This comes after Moroane's Pitbull dog mauled her neighbour's 8-year-old son to death on 12 November 2022. According to a media statement by the NPA, Moroane owned three dogs. One of the dogs, a Pitbull, had a known history of aggressive behaviour. Residents reported that it terrorised the neighbourhood on numerous occasions. On 12 November 2022, the Pitbull allegedly broke out and entered the neighbours' property. The dog reportedly went into the garage, where the boy was playing, and attacked him. The child died at the scene from severe injuries. The NPA argued that Moroane acted negligently given the complaints from various community members. The court stated that she had a duty to protect the residents from potential harm but failed to care. The court postponed the case until 2 September 2025 for sentencing. The NPA said that this case serves as a reminder and warning to dog owners. It said that owners should consider the danger animals pose. The NPA stated that dog owners have a legal responsibility to ensure that the individuals around them are safe 'When negligence results in injury or death, the justice system must act decisively to protect the public and hold the responsible parties accountable,' the statement said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
SA cannot have a weak NPA that cannot do its job
Zondo said the fight against corruption could not be won without strengthening the country's law enforcement agencies. Former chief justice Raymond Zondo has called for the resourcing of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to ensure it brings those found to be corrupt to book. The NPA has recently faced criticism after the Gqeberha High Court acquitted Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused, Lusanda Solani and Zukiswa Sitho, of 32 serious charges, including allegations of rape, racketeering and human trafficking, on 2 April. Judge Irma Schoeman said the state had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Schoeman also criticised the handling of the case by the prosecutors. 'Unfortunately, in this matter, there have been problems, some of which can be classified as unethical conduct or incompetence of the prosecution, even from before the trial commenced, which only came to the fore during the trial,' said Judge Schoeman. ALSO READ: Batohi explains why NPA did not investigate prosecutors in 2021 Omotoso trial 'The cross-examination of the accused was desultory in the extreme. No thought went into it. Similarly ineffectual and superficial was the cross-examination of accused 2 and 3 that amounted to no cross-examination at all.' On Tuesday, Schoeman dismissed the NPA's application for clarification on Omoto's acquittal. The NPA has since launched an internal investigation into the conduct of the first team of prosecutors involved in this matter, which began in August 2024, despite allegations of misconduct against the prosecutors surfacing as early as 2021. Zondo on law enforcement agencies Addressing the South African Council of Churches conference on Wednesday, Zondo said the fight against corruption could not be won without strengthening the country's law enforcement agencies. He addressed the church leaders under the topic, fighting corruption, lessons learned and current dangers. ALSO READ: NPA dealt another blow in Omotoso case He said the Hawks, South African Police Service (Saps), and NPA needed to be strengthened to tackle crime in the country. 'The NPA is critically important in the fight against corruption. We cannot afford to have a weak NPA. We cannot afford to have a weak NPA that cannot do its job. The NPA needs to be given all the resources that it can have in order to play its role in the fight against corruption,' said Zondo. 'But also, it is important that the people at the NPA throughout the country, the prosecutors, be people of integrity. When they decide to charge someone with corruption, we must know that it has nothing to do with anything except a breach of the law. When they say they are withdrawing charges, we must know that it is because, in good faith, they believe they should be withdrawn.' The Saps has equally received criticism recently following KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi's allegations against his colleagues. ALSO READ: Churches reject Omotoso's Buffalo City crusade plans On Sunday, 6 July, Mkhwanazi alleged that the judiciary and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, among others, were corrupt and colluding with criminal networks. Mkhwanazi said an investigation with the Gauteng organised crime investigation unit unmasked a syndicate which involves politicians, law enforcement, metro police, correctional services, prosecutors, the judiciary, and is controlled by drug cartels as well as businesspeople. Although Mchunu denied the allegations, he has since been placed on a leave of absence. Corruption and police force Zondo said the fight against corruption would not succeed without a stronger police force. 'We cannot talk about intensifying or strengthening our fight against corruption or making sure that our fight against corruption is effective without a police force that is able to do its job,' he said. ALSO READ: Mbeki on Zuma: 'Either Zondo report is wrong, or we're dealing with entirely wrong person' 'In the early 2000s, we had the Scorpions, which were very effective in fighting corruption. The criminals had begun to fear them. However, at the 2007 ANC elective conference, a resolution was passed to disband them. And they were disbanded. 'The results are there for all of us to see what happened about the levels of corruption, because I don't believe that the Hawks, which were said to have taken their place, are up to their job.' President Cyril Ramaphosa has since announced he would establish a judicial commission of inquiry, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. The commission will investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates. READ NEXT: 'They cost us votes' – call for ANC leaders implicated in Zondo, VBS to step aside
Daily Maverick
19 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
NPA insists it will pursue appeal against Omotoso acquittal despite legal missteps
Despite Judge Irma Schoeman rejecting the NPA's bid for 'clarification' on her ruling that acquitted Timothy Omotoso, the State says it will push forward with an appeal — and the Department of Home Affairs has signalled it will lift Omotoso's five-year ban to ensure he faces trial in South Africa. Despite its failed attempt at gaining more insight into the high court's acquittal of controversial Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it would be going ahead with the appeal process. And should its effort be rewarded with a second shot at the leader of the Jesus Dominion International Church and his two co-accused, the Department of Home Affairs has reportedly indicated it would waive his status as an 'undesirable person', lift his five-year ban from South Africa, and allow his extradition to stand trial. In a brief court appearance on Tuesday, 22 July 2025, the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha handed down Judge Irma Schoeman's judgment in respect of the NPA's application for her to provide more clarity on the factual findings that saw Omotoso, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho acquitted on multiple charges of sexual assault and human trafficking. When Advocate Apla Bodlani SC brought the application last week, he indicated that the NPA had grounds on which it wished to appeal against the judgment, but it wanted Schoeman to provide a more detailed explanation of her findings to ensure its approach would be 'sustainable'. Its application was met with much criticism from the defence, which accused the State of embarking on a 'fishing expedition' to build the basis for its appeal. Normal procedure would entail the prosecution first lodging an official appeal, then approaching the judge for clarification on specific points raised in the appeal. In this case no appeal process has started, and it appears the State is asking for a blanket clarification of Schoeman's judgment as a whole. In Schoeman's order, handed down on Tuesday, she agreed that her role in this matter was ' functus officio ' — that she had concluded her duties — and what the NPA was in essence looking for was an altered or supplemented judgment. 'Therefore, the State is not entitled to request clarification of facts prior to the lodging of an application for leave to appeal on a question of law,' Schoeman's judgment read. During the trial, the accused were represented by Bay attorneys Peter Daubermann and Alwyn Griebenow. While Daubermann was in court last week to argue against the State's application, Griebenow attended proceedings on Tuesday. Afterwards, he said the judgment was not surprising. 'The rules on this sort of procedure are quite clear, and the NPA did not follow protocol. This application was doomed to fail from the start.' Asked where his client currently resides, Griebenow said Omotoso went to Nigeria after his deportation, and he assumed that was where he remained. NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said they had anticipated this outcome, but it would not deter them from proceeding with the appeal process. 'With respect, there was a misinterpretation of the case law we relied on as well as the intention of our request before the court.' He said that in order for the NPA to properly draft its questions of law for an appeal it needed to identify factual findings that informed the judge's decision on the acquittal. Mhaga said they did not agree with her order that they must first lodge the appeal before seeking clarification. 'The judge said she cannot correct, alter or supplement her judgment. That was never our request. We wanted her to clarify her factual findings so that we can proceed to finalise the drafting of our questions of law.' He further said they would move forward with the appeal process before the end of this week, and also, if necessary, prepare a condonation application as their appeal would be filed outside the allotted timeframe. Upon leaving OR Tambo International Airport in May, Omotoso was named an 'undesirable person' and slapped with a five-year ban from South Africa. When asked how this would affect the possible extradition of Omotoso should the appeal process be successful, Mhaga said the NPA had already approached the minister of home affairs who agreed to lift Omotoso's ban when the time came. Mhaga also explained that the investigation into the alleged misconduct of several prosecutors involved in the matter, which ultimately laid the foundation for Omotoso's acquittal, was also ongoing. 'We expected to have received feedback on the findings of that investigation some time ago, but it seems that process is still ongoing and we are still awaiting an outcome,' Mhaga said. DM
