Maluti magistrate court staff members are miffed and confused with what is happening in a bail application of the 67 year old man who is accused of killing three siblings from Queens Mercy near Matatiele in the Eastern Cape.
The court is struggling to deliver judgement on whether to grant or not to grant bail to Thabo Makhetha , who is facing charges of killing Tukelo, Lucky and Katleho all from the Faro family. It has now taken almost two weeks for the court to hand down the decision. The multiple delays are caused by unusual occurrences happening inside the court.
If it’s not the absence of the interpreter, it’s the unavailability of a prosecutor. If it’s not the lack of water it is the unavailability of electricity. The current one is the recording machine’s failure to work.
On Tuesday the first hour of the court proceedings were almost delayed after the machine went off, however, it was later fixed. The first case started with no defaults, however, Makhetha’s lucky star dimmed when the recording machine went off in the middle of the judgment, resulting in the court being adjourned for the machine to be attended to.
After the adjournment, state prosecutor requested that the judgement be moved to Thursday. Defence team, opposed the request, insinuating that the state prosecutor is implicated in the dysfunctionality of the recording machine.
Responding to the accusation, Magistrate Ngcikivane said the allegations are untrue, and has since moved the judgment to Thursday.
The anger was displayed in the face of the staff members who some described the chaos as no longer “Unyawo lwemfene but inonyawo lwesele”
