Durban — The bail on new facts for a 22-year-old man previously suspected of being linked to a mass shooting in Savannah Park was postponed on Thursday in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
Comfort Ngubo has been behind bars since March following his rearrest outside the courtroom after the State provisionally withdrew charges of possessing a firearm without a license and ammunition against him and his co-accused.
In the matter that was provisionally withdrawn in March Ngubo had been charged along with Njabulo Mchunu.
The two had been out on R8 000 bail and had initially been charged with Nicolas Sphamandla Hadebe, 24, in August last year.
Hadebe who was out on R10 000 was allegedly found in possession of a shotgun and 24 rounds of ammunition, this was while Mchunu had been alleged to have been found in possession of a black 9mm pistol and ammunition.
Five days after their release on bail Hadebe was killed, he was gunned down allegedly by men who arrived at a house in Wyebank in a white Ford double cab with a police registration plate, suspected to be fake.
The three were said to have been linked to the mass shooting in Savannah Park.
In March when Ngubo walked out of the courtroom after charges were provisionally withdrawn he was arrested and charged with five counts of murder and with possession of a firearm without a license, specifically, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol as well as 17 rounds of 9mm parabellum-type live ammunition.
It’s alleged that he was found with these in Kloof on 2 August - this is the same charge that had been provisionally withdrawn.
On Thursday Ngubo’s bail on new facts was meant to be heard however it was postponed to 21 September.
The State indicated that the docket was with a regional prosecutor and asked that the matter be postponed for this reason.
Ngubo was represented by attorney D Barnard who told the court that the postponement date had been by arrangement for the State to get the docket.
The five murder charges that Ngubo faced have also been withdrawn, this was confirmed by Barnard outside court who indicated that these charges were withdrawn on 25 August.
In his initial bail application last year in August Ngubo had told the court that the firearm and ammunition were not on him but found inside the house he was arrested at, a house that was not his home.
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