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Two men accused of kidnapping Gqeberha biokineticist Riana Pretorius, have been denied bail in the city's Magistrate's Court.
Xolisile Rhawutini and Xolani Kafile will remain behind bars as the state said it had a strong case against the pair who face a litany of charges.
These include kidnapping, unlawful possession of a firearm, ammunition, extortion, and possession of the suspected stolen property.
In denying bail to Rhawutini, Magistrate Thembakazi Mlindazwe, noted that he was out on a R1000 bail for two separate robberies.
She refuted that the state had a weak case against him saying that he had been “caught in the act”.
Fleshing out details of his arrest she says an eyewitness had seen the kidnapping taking place and had taken a photo of the vehicle that Rhawutini was in.
Mlindazwe also told the court that the police had seen him discard an unlicensed firearm during the high-speed chase which led to his arrest.
She further rejected his argument that he needed to take care of his children, saying it did not constitute an exceptional circumstance for bail as they do not live with him.
Turning to Kafile, Magistrate Mlindazwe found that while he claimed to have been out of town at the time of the incident, his palm print was found on the car that was used in the kidnapping.
The court also said he was found in possession of the marked ransom money and that he had been in violation of his parole conditions for leaving East London without the permission of his parole officer.
She said that he was likely going to abandon the trial because of the nature of the charges he was accused of.
The matter has been postponed to June 7 for further investigation.
The pair will remain behind bars for the duration of the trial.
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