Overview
- Monday’s appearance in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court ended with a postponement to 22 January due to unavailable witnesses and a pending identity parade.
- The five accused told the court they are Lesotho nationals without valid passports and they currently face charges for unlicensed firearms, ammunition and immigration violations after abandoning bail over safety fears.
- No murder counts have been added at this stage as investigators prioritise the identity parade and witness evidence.
- An AK-47 and four pistols seized in December raids are undergoing expedited ballistic testing to determine links to the tavern attack and other crimes.
- Police are searching for five other undocumented suspects released when their case was not enrolled, following Home Affairs confirmation that their documents are invalid.