The men accused of plotting to kill Gqeberha mother, Vicki Terblanche, made a brief appearance in the city's High Court on Thursday.
The trial, which was scheduled to take place from October to December 2024, is still stuck in pre-trial conference arguments. Terblanche's defence has brought several applications for further particulars on the case.
During Thursday's proceedings, Teblanche's defence attorney, Peter Daubermann, wanted further particulars on the added charges his client faced regarding his dealings with state witness Phindile Zweni during his time in St Albans prison.
Daubermann cited case law that states that particulars must be provided where a conspiracy or an alleged conspiracy is alleged, further arguing that the state had an obligation to supply these particulars to determine whether there was a common purpose.
Daubermann said they wanted particulars, not evidence, and that there was a difference between the two.
He again accused State Advocate Marius Stander of not wanting to bind himself to a particular version, further stating that although they had a witness list and statements, they were not on record yet.
He said witnesses' statements are not limited because they can elaborate on their statements once they testify during trial.
He said Terblanche had the right to know what the state intends to prove against him, further accusing advocate Stander of wanting to surprise his client during trial.
In response, Advocate Stander said the summary of the facts in the case is set out in extreme detail in 45 paragraphs.
He said Terblanche and Leach's defences were given the same information and questioned why there would now be a discrepancy since Leach seemed to understand the documents.
Stander said that Terblanche wanted to know everything he was being accused of to defend himself, but they were not obligated to offer evidence.
He said Terblanche knew what exactly he needed to answer for as he had been through three bail applications.
Stander told the court it was nothing more than a fishing expedition and accused the defence of using Stalingrad tactics, or pre-trial litigation, to manipulate the law.
Daubermann responded that Stander was busy with Stalingrad's tactics, stating that his client wanted this matter to go to trial without further delays.
It is understood that the matter will go to trial in January 2025, although an exact date has not been set. However, concern was raised in court that no judge had been appointed yet.
Judgment was reserved in Thursday's proceedings, and the case was postponed to the 5th of December.
Listen to the first 2 seasons of the Algoa FM News Exclusive Podcast, Journey to Justice, to catch up on this case.
