Final postponement – one trial, two murders

MOKOPANE - The suspects in both the Gideon Fatana and Charles Mgidi murder cases appeared in the Mokopane Regional Court on Wednesday. Magistrate André van der Kooi said this was the final postponement (to 4 November) for further investigation and indictment.
The accused of the two separate murder cases appeared in court for their first day of their trial. The third accused in the one case (Mgidi murder) is also a state witness in the other case (Fatana murder), meaning both cases were to be heard in the same courtroom prior to  postponement.
Samuel Matjila, Patrick Sekhu and Desmond Machaba are the suspects in the Mgidi murder. Charles Mogale, Thabo Matlaila and the same Desmond Machaba are the suspects in the Fatana murder. Mgidi was killed at a filling station in Mokopane only days after Gideon Fatana, a taxi owner, was gunned down at his house. It is believed that a statement made at Fatana's funeral service may have led to Mgidi’s murder and therefore the magistrate said in a previous appearance that he cannot separate the two cases.
Van der Kooi also told the defense attorney, Cara Alberts, that a trial separation is for the trial court to decide.