‘Last time, the prosecutor was absent, and now it’s the Magistrate. There seems to be something suspicious going on’
DELMAS – The bail application of Wessel Badenhorst (55), accused of murder and attempted murder, scheduled for May 2, 2024, faced another postponement to May 9, 2024, due to the absence of the Magistrate assigned to the case. Badenhorst, head of security at Argent, was arrested on charges of murdering Mzwakhe Hlatshwayo and attempted murder. According to the police, on March 22, 2024, they responded to a call, along with Emergency Medical Services personnel, at a certain farm where they found a woman with gunshot wounds. They later discovered the body of Hlatshwayo, with multiple gunshot wounds, deceased.
Samson Manamela, commander of the uMkhonto Wesizwe Political Organization, expressed dissatisfaction with the court case’s postponement. “As members of the uMkhonto Wesizwe political organization, we are concerned about the repeated postponements of Badenhoorst’s bail application. Today, with the case already underway, there is no Magistrate present,” he stated, suggesting potential bribery. “Last time, the prosecutor was absent, and now it’s the Magistrate. There seems to be something suspicious going on,” he emphasized.
Khaya Segone, leader of Our Last Hope, shared his perspective on the case’s postponement. “We expected the bail application issue to be resolved today, but to our dismay, the Magistrate was absent from the Delmas Magistrate Court. It feels like justice is being delayed, and as the community of Delmas, we feel undermined by the failure of judges to speed up Wessel Badenhorst’s bail application, ” he said.
