Metro police officers charged with journalist's death still report for duty

The three Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department constables implicated in the death of journalist Godknows Nare are still reporting for duty.

Chief Superintendant Wayne Minnaar told TimesLIVE that the officers were transferred to do "administrative duty".

Lincoln Moloi‚ 35‚ Nhlanhla Joseph Vilakazi‚ 29 and Thozamile Mhlanga‚ 37‚ are out on bail after they appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court last month.

They returned to court on Friday.

"The case was postponed to 20 August up to 31 August‚" said Minnaar.

Nare‚ 40‚ died in a hail of bullets in what appeared to have been a shootout with the police in April last year near his home in Florida‚ on the West Rand.

He had worked as a journalist and fixer for local and international news organisations‚ including the SABC’s Special Assignment programme‚ eNCA‚ BBC‚ Al Jazeera and the New York Times.

The shooting occurred outside his sister’s house‚ a few blocks from his own home.

Moses Dlamini‚ spokesman for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate‚ said the officers were arrested after an investigation. It is alleged that‚ contrary to the officers’ version that they were shot at‚ they shot Nare and staged the crime scene to cover their tracks.

The group faces charges of murder‚ assault and defeating the ends of justice.