'Shooting of Sophie Ledwaba might have been a mistake'

The shooting of 26-year-old Sophie Ledwaba outside Ayeyep nightclub in Pretoria might have been a mistake.

This is according to one of the owners of the club‚ who said footage in their possession does not indicate that accused James Ngoasheng‚ 30‚ intended shooting Ledwaba.

Ngoasheng is facing a charge of murder and being in possession of an unlicensed firearm during an altercation on August 21.

He was yesterday denied bail in the Pretoria magistrate’s court.

"It didn’t look like he wanted to shoot her. The two were regulars‚" Kagiso Setsetse told Sowetan.

"It seems like the girl ran and jumped into the Mercedes Benz Viano when an Uber they tried to catch was attacked by a metre taxi driver. From the footage‚ it looked like the guy wanted to chase her out of his vehicle by pulling out his gun but then he shot her without intending to‚" Setsetse said.

He moved to dispel reports that the incident happened in his club.

In his judgment‚ Magistrate David Shikwambana said Ngoasheng's act of handing himself over to police could be perceived as an admission of guilt and that he has a history of violence‚ despite not having convictions against him.

During Ngoasheng's bail application‚ Sergeant Jeremiah Mpiti continued with his testimony in which he described the 30-year-old as a violent person.

"His contract was terminated where he stayed because he fought with other tenants‚" Mpiti told the court. He said the accused was due to vacate his flat at the end of August.

Mpiti explained to the court that Ngoasheng had provided the address of his flat‚ despite having to vacate it at the end of August.

"The accused also does not have a licence to be in possession of a firearm and we are waiting for ballistic results to determine whether it had been used in other crimes‚" he said.

Mpiti was asked whether a physical confrontation was necessary between the Ngoasheng and Ledwaba considering the stark difference in their physique.

"I saw her (Ledwaba) body at the mortuary and did not attend the scene. She had a tiny build‚ but considering the physique‚ it was not necessary for the applicant to shoot the deceased‚" he said.

The officer said he was against Ngoasheng receiving bail as he believed he would interfere with investigations.

"He is well known and knows witnesses related to the matter. Some of the witnesses are Swaziland nationals. Most have run away to Swaziland and are afraid of returning to school‚" he said.

-SowetanLIVE