MIDDELBURG – Nqubeko Mchunu will have to stay in prison for a year before the start of his trial. He was rearrested in Soweto after evading court for 13 months while out on R10,000 bail. Mchunu (43) was employed as a security guard for a company that was awarded a controversial security contract at the municipality.
He made a brief appearance in the Middelburg Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 16, 2024, for a formal bail application. However, the state, in consultation with his attorney, decided not to proceed with the bail hearing. His trial is set for May 19, 2025 to May 30, 2025.
Mchunu is facing four charges, including murder and three attempted murders, following a shooting spree during a labour dispute at the municipal premises on August 17, 2022. Tshepo Maseko succumbed to the shooting, and two other employees and a community member were seriously injured.
After his re-arrest, Mchunu was taken to court on May 6, 2024, and the case was postponed to May 14, 2024 for a bail hearing. The case could not proceed on this date due to his lawyer’s unavailability.
Worker representative Jacob Magagula said they are pleased with the outcome. “We are happy he is going to be locked up for the same number of months he spent running away from the law,” said Magagula. “We will follow this case up until justice is served.”
Bongani Thabang, one of the victims, told the paper he is still traumatised by the incident. “When I see people carrying guns, I get flashbacks of what happened that day. I am not okay,” he said. “I want the shooter to rot in jail for what he did to us.”
