The controversy surrounding senior regional magistrate Ronnie Rambau continues.

This follows yet another attempt by him to have his bail conditions reduced, this time in the Sekgosese Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday.

During his court appearance, Rambau launched several personal attacks on one of the State’s witnesses, Capt Dieter Meyer. Meyer, who had already testified against Rambau in his pending corruption case in Musina, is one of the people whose names appear on Rambau’s alleged hit list.

The alleged hit list, compiled in Rambau’s own handwriting, contains the names of nine state officials involved in Rambau’s corruption case. After this list was discovered and handed to the police, Rambau was arrested on January 15 and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. It is alleged that Rambau had paid two witch doctors R850 and R3 500 respectively to have the people on the list killed.

The conspiracy case was postponed until April 25 for further investigation, but after the court realised that this was a public holiday, they notified Rambau to appear in court on February 22 to arrange a new court date.

It was during this appearance that Rambau first applied to have his bail conditions reduced. The conspiracy case, as well as the bail application, was postponed until May 9. At that stage, mum was the word and nobody was aware of Rambau’s plans to lodge yet another bail reduction application, following his court appearance on the corruption charge in Musina on March 7.

Only after the investigating officer asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to intervene, was Rambau’s newest bail reduction application postponed until last Wednesday in order for the state prosecutor to oppose Rambau’s application.

During his court appearance last week, Rambau defended his application and said that he wished to study at the university in Thohoyandou, hence his desire to be able to leave Louis Trichardt. His present bail conditions prohibit him from leaving town. He also said that he wanted to be able to visit his house in Maxambo Village. Another reduction he asked for was to report to the police only once a day, and preferably not too early in the morning. According to him, it is too dark in the morning and he is afraid that he will be killed by Meyer.

The State challenged Rambau’s claims and said that Rambau’s sudden notion to study was quite bizarre because, only two weeks ago, he had no money to pay his lawyers and had to apply for a state attorney. Meyer expressed the opinion that if the court were to reduce Rambau’s bail conditions, this would have a severe impact on any further investigations.

It was at this stage that Rambau asked Meyer whether he had ever threatened any of the people on the list since he was released on bail. Meyer testified that even though nothing could be linked directly to Rambau, there had been certain incidents reported at the homes of four of the people on the list, including himself.

According to Meyer, there is proof that Rambau had visited Louis Trichardt’s state prison at least twice, both times under an alias. He further testified that since Rambau’s prison visits started, three suspect vehicles had been spotted outside the homes of regional prosecutor Hilke Janse van Rensburg, senior prosecutor Reino Mostert and regional magistrate Chris Mtombeni. The very same vehicles were also spotted at Meyer’s Pretoria residence. He also said that Janse van Rensburg’s dog had been poisoned two weeks ago.

In his defence, Rambau said that he had many friends that he visited in prison. He later claimed that his sister supplied vegetables to the prison and that he had helped her to carry these into the prison.

Rambau’s reduction of bail application was postponed until March 24 for judgement.