One of the four police officers implicated in the killing of Khulekani Mpanza was granted bail in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Constable Dipuo Chipu, who is the only female officer among the accused, was granted R5 000 bail.
Chipu was officially charged with defeating the ends of justice, while her colleagues all faced an additional charge of murder.
Meanwhile, the three other officers were expected back in the same court on November 10, where they too would apply for bail.
During the next proceedings, it would also be discussed what schedule the three officers would face.
They are Constable Titus Mabela, Constable Jason Segole and Sergeant Puleng Sebetwa.
The officers, all in their 30s, were arrested at the Krugersdorp police station, which is the same station where they were based.
They would, however, be moved to the Roodepoort police cells. The Sunday Times reported that CCTV footage showed what appeared to be the officers chasing a gun-wielding Mpanza down the streets of Krugersdorp.
One of the officers fired the first shot which resulted in Mpanza falling to the ground and dropping his weapon.
Another officer was then seen kicking an injured Mpanza while another fired a second shot at him which reportedly hit him in the head, killing him.
The four officers wore jackets and attempted to cover their faces from the strong media contingent in court. The courtroom was also packed to capacity with relatives of the four accused.
The families made remarks as members of the media attempted to take pictures of the accused.
Some members of the SA Police Union and other police officers dressed in civilian clothing were also present in court in support of their colleagues.
The police officers clashed with some members of the media, accusing them of being biased in their coverage.
They accused the media of vilifying their colleagues.
Source: News24
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