Elvis a lone coup fantasist

The National Prosecuting Authority has admitted that it has no evidence that Elvis Ramosebudi tried to plot a coup by assassinating high-profile politicians and cabinet ministers.

Ramosebudi, 33, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court for a few minutes yesterday.

Prosecutors asked for his bail application to be postponed to Friday. The state also changed the charges against him - from conspiracy to commit murder to incitement to commit murder.

• NPA admits it has no evidence that Elvis was plotting a coupThe National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has admitted it does not have evidence that Elvis Ramosebudi tried to plot a coup by killing high profile government ministers.

NPA spokesman Phindi Louw said: "At this stage we don't have information that suggests this is a coup plot."

She said the evidence the NPA had indicated that Ramosebudi had tried to "incite" multinational mining company Anglo American to be complicit in murder by asking the company to fund his plan to kill cabinet ministers.

"The proper charge that can be preferred is 'incitement' [because] Ramosebudi acted alone," she said.

• The Big Read: Elvis gets us all shook upWhen I heard about the Anti-State Capture Death Squad Alliance, I was quite upset.

The Hawks used the word "coup" in their original announcement of Ramosebudi's arrest.

Ramosebudi allegedly ran two organisations - the Anti-State Capture Death Squad Alliance and the Anti-White Monopoly Capitalists Regime. According to the Hawks, these organisations were planning to kill 19 ministers and other high-profile officials.

Ramosebudi reportedly told those he asked for funding that snipers would kill the targets, said to include President Jacob Zuma, Minister of Co-operative Governance Des van Rooyen, Eskom board chairman Ben Ngubane, former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and former public protector Thuli Madonsela.

Lawyers for the Gupta family said they received a letter from Ramosebudi asking for R30-million to assassinate Madonsela, former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene and Jonas. The Guptas notified the police.

Incitement to commit crime is a schedule 1 offence, which means the suspect will be granted bail unless the state can prove that it is in the interests of justice that he remain behind bars.

Louw said the state was considering whether Ramosebudi should be subjected to psychiatric evaluation.- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE