Phiwokuhle Mothemela
The five men accused of shooting and wounding Kouga Municipality ward councillor Jacques Alexander will have to wait a while longer to hear whether they will be granted bail.
Luciano Jacobs, Athenkosi Gidane, Mthumzi Lani, Lutho Mbatha, and Andy Davids appeared in the Humansdorp Magistrates court on charges of attempted murder, the possession of a stolen vehicle, firearms and ammunition as well as robbery with aggravating circumstances on Monday.
Their arrest comes after they shot and wounded Alexander in February this year outside the municipality’s headquarters in Da Gama Street, Jeffreys Bay.
The five suspects applied for bail, which was opposed by the state, who read out an affidavit by the investigating officer which revealed damning evidence against them.
In the affidavit, the investigating officer said Jacobs and Gidane confessed to being the shooters and further implicated their co-accused by saying they were on the crime scene.
He also said Jacobs and Gidane told him that accused number five, Andy Davids, is the mastermind behind the shooting, who also provided them with the two firearms used.
Furthermore, the investigation's affidavit revealed that the vehicle Jacobs, Gidane, Lani, and Mbatha used on the day of the incident, was hijacked from its owner in KwaDwesi a few days before.
The suspects also attached false number plates to the car.
According to the investigating officer, four of the five suspects' addresses could not be verified, implying that they can not be relied on to give their full cooperation in the case.
He also mentioned that Gidane, Lani, Mbatha and Davids all have previous or pending cases which they did not disclose in their statements.
The defence for the five accused told the court that it would like to submit responding affidavits which saw the case being postponed to the 24th of July.
Read also: Kouga DA councillor's alleged shooters apply for bail
