Tiaan Strydom, Fanie Venter, his wife Mariè and Jeandre Visagie speaking about their ordeal during an armed robbery Picture: Masi Losi Tiaan Strydom, Fanie Venter, his wife Mariè and Jeandre Visagie speaking about their ordeal during an armed robbery Picture: Masi Losi
Pretoria - Charges of armed robbery against two hardened criminals which were “accidentally” dropped by a Pretoria North prosecutor have been reinstated and the case has been placed back on the roll.
Although not back behind bars, Solly Mohlahlo, one of the men released last week, appeared in court on Wednesday after being summoned. Co-accused Stanley Phaahla, currently in Polokwane, will appear with Mohlahlo next week. The two were released after a prosecutor misunderstood an instruction from the control prosecutor to withdraw charges in another matter.
According to law, they cannot be re-arrested as they were released by the court and did not escape from custody.
Their release caused a public outcry and an investigation into the release was initiated by the city’s chief prosecutor, Matric Luphondo. Mohlahlo and Phaahla, who had been awaiting trial in custody for two years, were denied bail after their arrest in 2011 as they both had prior convictions, including murder and hijacking.
It is alleged they robbed a Montana family at gunpoint in February 2011. The two were pointed out at an ID parade three months after the robbery.
Luphondo met the Venter family and the head of civil rights organisation, AfriForum’s investigation unit on Wednesday. This followed after AfriForum said they would go ahead and press charges against the prosecutor in question.
Fanie Venter and his family, who had been living in fear since the pair’s release, said they were relieved that the matter had been placed back on the roll.
“We are extremely happy with the way this investigation was handled. It was done quickly and professionally,” Venter said.
Venter explained that a third suspect, a man known only as Stuurman, had also been summoned to appear with Mohlahlo and Phaahla in court next week.
According to Venter, Stuurman earlier attended one of the court appearances and two of the witnesses, involved in the robbery, recognised him as one of the men who held them at gunpoint.
Venter said it took them hours to convince police officers at the court that one of the men who was allegedly responsible for their trauma was present at the court.
Police said they could not arrest Stuurman as he would then not be able to be identified in an ID parade.
One of the victims who was held at gunpoint, Tiaan Strydom, 27, said he would never forget the faces of the robbers as he was forced to look them in the eye while being held up with an AK-47.
Pretoria News