Weekend in jail for double-murder accused former MEC Mandla Msibi

Former Mpumalanga agriculture MEC Mandla Msibi will know on Tuesday if he will be granted bail.

Msibi was arrested on Monday on two murder charges and one count of attempted murder. He has been in custody since then.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Msibi bail application was postponed on Friday for judgment, meaning that the axed MEC and ANC provincial power player will spend the weekend behind bars.

“Both the state and the defence presented arguments to court [on Friday],” Nyuswa said.

Msibi, who was a member of the ANC’s provincial executive committee, is facing charges linked to an incident on August 22. He is alleged to have been involved in a shooting in which two people were killed and a third wounded.

Msibi has been removed from his position as MEC for agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs. The ANC in the province has said his arrest and charge for the double murder would be damaging to its election ambitions.

On Wednesday, the Nelspruit magistrate's court, where Msibi was due to appear for a second day, was evacuated after a bomb scare.

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