Phiwokuhle Mothemela
"I wanted to see the people who did this, and hopefully justice will prevail."
These were the words of Kouga municipality DA ward councillor Jaques Alexander, outside the Humansdorp Magistrates Court on Tuesday
Alexander attended the formal bail application of the five men who allegedly shot and wounded him in a suspected hit outside of the municipality's headquarters in Jeffrey's Bay in February this year.
Andy Davids (34), Mthunzi Lani (26), Lutho Mbatha (30), Luciano Jacobs (28), and Athenkosi Gidane (29) are charged with attempted murder and hijacking.
Before their bail application started, the state prosecutor Olga de Wet told the court that as the accused were searched before leaving St Albans Correctional Centre, a cash amount of R650 was found in Davids' possession.
She also asked the Magistrate to warn all of the accused that any money or valuables found in their possession would be confiscated
Davids seemed happy to see his people and greeted them with a big smile and a wave.
In their bail statements read out by their attorneys Bond Nyoka and Natie Heyns, the accused told the court that they were not linked to the crime.
Jacobs did however say on 29 February, the day of the incident, he and Gidane hitch-hiked from Gqeberha to Jeffreys Bay to visit his aunt. They were then offered a lift by Lani and Mbatha from Greenbushes, Gqeberha who were travelling in the direction of Humansdorp.
After he and Gidane were dropped off outside of Steers in Jeffreys Bay, they heard gunshots.
"We ran about 300m from Steers before the police arrested us," the affidavit read.
In his affidavit, Jacobs also said that he and Gidane did not know each other before meeting at the hitchhiking spot.
Kani told his lawyer that he was travelling with his co-accused Lutho Mbatha, who he claimed was a mechanic, in the direction of Humansdorp in a bid to collect money from people who would be hitch-hiking on the N2 highway to make up for the money he had lost while fixing the said vehicle.
However, in his statement, Mbatha said he was unemployed.
After dropping Jacobs and Gidane off at the Steers, they made their way back to Gqeberha but were stopped by a security company on the N2 highway and told that they were linked to a shooting that took place in Jeffreys Bay.
They were also taken into police custody alongside Jacobs and Gidane.
Davids, who was arrested last month also told his lawyer that he was not involved in the incident.
He said in his affidavit that he was arrested on the 24th of April while visiting his friend with his daughter in Humansdorp.
"Eight policemen entered my friend's flat and asked for me by name. When I responded, they instructed me to lie on my stomach and proceeded to search me," he said in his affidavit.
Davids said he was arrested in full view of his minor child for a crime that he knows nothing of.
He also accused the police of assaulting him.
The finalisation of the bail application will proceed on the 4th of June.
Also Read: Fifth suspect appears in court for shooting of Kouga councillor
