The bail application of two men implicated in the gruesome murder of the Khoza family in Vlakfontein, Gauteng, had to be delayed for a second time after another power outage.
“Is this Murphy’s law?” asked magistrate Maggie van der Merwe when the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court was plunged into darkness on Wednesday.
It was the second day in a row that the court had no electricity. Bail proceedings had to be postponed due to an electrical fault on Tuesday, delaying the case of 61-year-old Fita Khupe and his 27-year-old co-accused.
Van der Merwe said she had been told on Tuesday night that the electrical problem had been resolved.
” I got a WhatsApp at 8pm, saying electricity is back on,” she said on Wednesday.
She gave the state time to make a decision on what the next step should be. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the court manager would make a call to Eskom to find out how long the outage would last.
The 27-year-old accused in the matter may not be named because he faces three rape charges and is yet to plead. The court has already heard that he and Khupe had submitted statements to the police.
The 27-year-old suspect was alleged to have introduced himself to the Khoza family under a false name, claiming to be a long-lost relative.