Two charges of murder and malicious damage to property have been added to assault and kidnapping charges against the four men accused of killing two men, Thembeni Mnguni (39) and Wanda Mahlangu (23), from Laersdrift near Stoffberg.
This comes after police discovered two burnt bodies believed to be that of Mnguni and Mahlangu in a bag dumped under the bridge on the Vandyksdrift road (R575) in Middelburg on 5 September, after an anonymous caller informed the police about burnt bodies of two people.
Reinhardt Steyn, Chriswell Masilela, Stephen Wilson and Dumisani Luthuli appeared in the Middelburg magistrates court on Wednesday, 10 September, facing the charges of murder, kidnapping, assault with intent to do grevious bodily harm and malicious damage to property.
This follows an incident which led to the disappearance of Mnguni and Mahlangu which were reported missing on 24 August 2024.
“The information was followed by the team and it was during this time when the two burnt bodies were found,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Donald Mdluli. “These new developments came few moments after the court appearance of the suspects for kidnapping and assault.”
Mdluli further said that the burnt bodies were found “not far from the place where a VW Golf, suspected to be that of one of the victims was found torched last week”.
The suspects were apprehended last week Wednesday, 28 August, and appeared in court the subsequent day.
Steyn, Masilela and Luthuli appeared on 5 September before the matter was postponed to 10 September where they were joined by Wilson, reportedly from Malawi who attended another matter in Limpopo.
The matter was postponed untill next Tuesday, 17 September, for formal bail hearing.
The court also considered Wilson’s right to have access to a Chichewa language interpreter.
