JOHANNESBURG, August 03 (ANA) - One of the men accused of a cash-in-transit heist in Soweto along with former ANC staffer, Errol Velile Present, told the Roodepoort Magistrate's court he and his co-accused were assaulted by police officers.
Zakhele Zondi took the stand on Friday and testified during his bail application.
Zondi is accused number one in the case. He is appearing in court along with Present, Itumeleng Manama and Bheki Biyela.
All four men are facing a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances in connection with a cash-in-transit heist in Dobsonville, Soweto, on July 4.
An amount of R250,000 was taken during the heist.
Thirty-seven-year-old Zondi said police entered his home one night and demanded that he gives them guns.
"They searched but didn't find any guns and then they arrested me," he testified.
Zondi said police did not produce a search warrant and also failed to inform him of his rights.
He claimed he was taken to a place where he encountered the other accused and were shown vehicles.
"I was asked if I know these cars, I told them that I don't know the cars."
He said police took them and they were driven around until morning while they were assaulted.
It emerged on Friday that Zondi is not a first time offender and was in prison for attempted murder and served seven years out of an eleven-year sentence until he was released on parole in 2009.
The court also heard that Zondi was a businessman who earned R7,500 a month.
He said he started his construction business in 2016.
"We used to make money but now we are not getting business."
Earlier, the men had their application to access contents of the docket dismissed.
The accused wanted to see contents of the docket after the State added more charges to the charge sheet on Tuesday.
The new charges, which were announced by State prosecutor Paseka Tameli, included an attempted murder charge as well as possession of suspected stolen vehicles against all four accused.
These crimes relate to an incident in July at a mall in Dobsonville, Soweto, where the four are alleged to have “forcefully”, robbed a G4S cash van as well as shooting and critically wounding one of the guards.
After a lunch break at court, the matter was postponed to August 17.
- African News Agency (ANA)
