"On consideration of what has been recorded in this particular case, the coal-face of justice demands that bail be denied."
With these words, Vanderbijlpark magistrate Hussain Khota on Friday denied bail to 27-year-old, Tharina Human, the woman who is believed to have been the mastermind behind the recent kidnapping of six-year-old Amy-Leigh de Jager from her mother in front of her school on 2 September.
He also denied bail to 50-year-old co-accused, Pieter van Zyl while a Lesotho national, 24-year-old Mohlomohi Bafokeng, believed to have been the one to snatch Amy Leigh, abandoned his bid for bail.
However, magistrate Khota granted bail in the amount of R25 000 to 40-year-old Laetitia Nel with conditions.
She has to report every Wednesday to the Vanderbijlpark police station and has been instructed not to contact or interfere with any of the state witnesses.
In his much-anticipated bail judgment, Magistrate Khota said that "taking into account the balancing provisions of Section 35, 28 and 12 of the Constitution", the state "had succeeded in presenting evidence and testimony before this court and which satisfies the court that the interest of justice do not favour the release on bail of accused applicants No.1 and No.3."
"The stated applicants have on the other hand failed to discharge their onus of any rebuttal of the state's case to satisfy the court that the interest of justice indeed favours their release on bail," he said.
