Boxer Zolani Tete murder accused denied bail
Alleged mastermind Uzuzole Goqwana and Sinebhongo Qase returned to the dock before the Mdantsane Magistrate's Court in the Eastern Cape.
Former boxing champion Zolani Tete's alleged killers have had their bail applications rejected at the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court in the Eastern Cape. Uzuzole Goqwana and Sinebhongo Qase, among four men accused of the murder, failed to persuade the court to grant bail. The court considered Goqwana's paraplegic condition but ruled that ordinary medical issues do not automatically qualify for bail.
The court emphasized that exceptional circumstances must be unusual and extraordinary, not merely favorable. Despite Goqwana's argument that inadequate medical treatment in custody was an exceptional circumstance, the magistrate stated that this alone does not warrant release on bail. One hospital could not meet his medical needs, but St Albans Correctional Centre has a hospital section.
The court concluded that Goqwana did not prove truly exceptional circumstances, and bail was unjustified. Tete was killed on August 21 after allegedly being attacked by two armed men outside his home, while a 27-year-old woman and his three young children were injured. The state alleges that Qase acted as an intermediary, connecting the suspected hitmen to Tete's alleged assassination.
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