Suspect in Likhona Fose murder was previously convicted for attempted murder
The Roodepoort magistrate's court heard on Wednesday that the suspect in the case of murdered teenager Likhona Fose was previously convicted for attempted murder and armed robbery.
The smiling Mduduzi Trevor Mnisi, 39, appeared in court on a charge of premeditated murder.
His previous conviction was disclosed by his Legal Aid lawyer Asanda Qwabe, who said the case was from 2007.
Mnisi was taken in for questioning on Monday before being arrested. Despite this week's cold spell, his lawyer said he had not been allocated a bed nor a blanket when he was taken to the Krugersdorp prison.
His case was remanded to June 18 for a bail application and further investigations.
Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the state needed time to gather evidence.
'He is charged with premeditated murder, which falls under the offences within the ambit of schedule six. As the NPA we will oppose his release on bail,' she said.
The state did not yet have adequate information about Mnisi. 'Investigations are ongoing. As the NPA we are not in a position to divulge at this stage whether he had previous or pending cases, and neither can we confirm at this stage that he was released on parole,' she added.
Fose, a grade 8 pupil at Ikusasalethu Secondary School in Braamfischerville, Joburg, was found deceased on June 1.
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Eyewitness News
an hour ago
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Cops dismiss claim of second suspect nabbed in connection with Likhona Fose's murder
JOHANNESBURG - Police have dismissed a claim of a second suspect being arrested in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Likhona Fose. On Wednesday, Gauteng Public Safety MMC, Mgcini Tshwaku, announced that a second suspect, a Pakistani shop owner, was arrested . He said that another suspect claimed to have been instructed by the alleged shop owner to commit the crime. The teen's mutilated body was found in an open veld, not far from her home in Durban Deep, west of Johannesburg , a day after she was reported missing. To date, only one suspect has been charged with her murder, and he appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Police have confirmed that they have not arrested a second suspect in connection with the murder of Fose. According to police, the allegations made by Tshwaku are false, and police continue to conduct further investigations into the case. On Wednesday, 39-year-old Mduduzi Mnisi, who was arrested for the crime earlier this week, made his first appearance at the Roodepoort Magistrates Court. During proceedings, it was revealed that Mnisi has faced a prior conviction for attempted murder and robbery for crimes committed in 2007. The case was postponed to next week to allow the state to gather further information. A bail application is also expected to be filed.


Daily Maverick
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In 2012, a Gupta-linked, foreign scrap metal company suddenly announced its intention to invest in an emerging farmers project in the Free State. Strangely, the foreign company insisted that a company it did not name must conduct a feasibility study first. Somehow, Nulane, owned by Iqbal Sharma, was appointed to that role. Evidence showed how Free State officials set about manipulating procurement processes to falsely and quickly appoint Nulane as a sole supplier. The feasibility study simply was outsourced to Deloitte for just R1.5-million. Nulane merely slapped its logo on the final report and sent invoices to the Department of Agriculture. The money went to Nulane and R19-million then ricocheted through various Gupta-controlled bank accounts before being siphoned off to Dubai. By the time the trial began, the Guptas had long fled South Africa. Smaller fish faced charges for PFMA breaches, fraud and money laundering. 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How they managed to persevere despite such unfair criticism is hard to imagine. Of course every prosecution can be improved. But it was the fact that the judge had 'closed her mind to the evidence adduced by the State' that really prevented the NPA from advancing the State's case, as the SCA noted. The NPA's resilience deserves praise. In this instance, the real issue lies not with prosecutors but with wiser case allocation. State Capture cases cannot be entrusted to judges susceptible to their own 'comedy of errors'. The NPA chief, advocate Shamila Batohi, has herself implored heads of court to appoint experienced judges to seminal matters. A similar hint rang out in Bloemfontein's quaintly dilapidated SCA courtroom B when State counsel, Nazeer Cassim SC, remarked that high-stakes cases should be assigned to judges capable of navigating complex legal terrain. 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The Citizen
6 hours ago
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Watch: Roodepoort court sets bail hearing for man accused of 14-year-old's murder
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