Hillary Gardee murder accused change their minds and apply for bail

Hillary Gardee murder accused Sipho Mkhatshwa is expected to continue with his bail application on Thursday at the Nelspruit magistrate’s court.

Mkhatshwa’s bail application stopped abruptly last month when his previous attorneys on record pulled out, citing a conflict of interest.

He has since found new attorneys who were placed on record early last month. 

Mkhatshwa, in his affidavit read in court during his initial bail application before his attorneys pulled out, declared he is a father of five and an elder in the Roman Catholic Church in the Malelane district.

He mapped out his whereabouts at the time Gardee was kidnapped on April 29 until when her body was found on a gravel road alongside a pine plantation on May 3.

According to Mkhatshwa, he spent the five days when the state alleges he kidnapped and killed Gardee attending church, comforting a bereaved family, buying two car batteries, fitting clothes for his upcoming wedding with his children and bride-to-be, preparing his yard with his gardener for the wedding, shopping for cooldrinks and food, and arranging with a vet a permit for the slaughter of a cow for a lobola ceremony.

Previously, the Sunday Times reported that before the case adjourned last month, the state was planning to question Mkhatshwa about claims in text messages, and about cellphone data which allegedly placed his phone near Gardee’s phone at the time of her disappearance.

The other two accused, Philemon Lukhele and Albert Gama are also expected to be in court to launch their bail bid.

TimesLIVE has seen a requisition from the attorneys for Lukhele and Gama, requesting that they be brought to court. The three had initially opted to not apply for bail, but have now changed their minds and will be applying for bail.

TimesLIVE

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