Six of the seven suspects who were arrested in connection with the murder of Mr Johannes Mulaudzi (18) of Ha-Mutsha Village on April 3 have been released and the charges against them were withdrawn in the Vuwani Magistrate´s Court. Most of them spent almost two months in jail before the director of public prosecutions ordered that the charges against them be dropped.

Four suspects, Tshifhiwa Mashamba (36), Aluwani Mulaudzi (21), Tshilidzi Sigwadi (32) and Tshimangadzo Nemudzivhadi (29) spent 58 days in prison before being released. The other two suspects, Lufuno Ranwedzi (21) and Fhatuwani Mbedzi (21), were released two days after their arrest. Only one of the suspects, Bongani Mavhoya, is still in custody and has to face a charge of murder.

The seven suspects were accused of taking part in the shooting of Mr Mulaudzi at his home in the village. According to the police report, Mulaudzi had found the seven guys drinking at a local tavern in the village when he allegedly took their beer and drank it. The men started quarrelling with Mulaudzi, which resulted in a fight. It was initially alleged that Mulaudzi, who was staying in the same village, had to run home to escape. The men allegedly tried to track him down and he was shot while watching television with family members. Mulaudzi died atthe scene of the incident.

The Levubu police then arrested the seven suspects. Two of them, Lufuno Ranwedzi and Fhatuwani Mbedzi, were released and apparently turned state witness.

According to the legal representative for three of the men, the public prosecutor in the Vuwani Magistrate´s Court should have sent the dockets through for evaluation straight away. Their lawyer, Mr Jacobus Venter, said that his clients had not been party to the shooting, as each had gone his own way. He mentioned that they were arrested merely because they were seen with the deceased earlier in the day.

Mr Venter further mentioned that the actions of the State had caused great harm to his clients. One of them lost his job, while another had to go through an immense amount of effort to get reinstated.

The spokesperson for the Levubu police, W/O Solly Mukhola, confirmed that six of the suspects had been released and that only Maboya remained in custody.

(Mirror would like to invite its readers to contact our news team in cases where stories are not properly followed up. We try and keep up to date of what is happening in the courts, but it is not always that easy to get the information we need. We write about people who appear in court, but often lose track as the cases get postponed again and again.

There is no excuse for sloppy journalism, but there is also the realistic side that we cannot know about all the outcomes. The principle that suspects are innocent until they are proven guilty should be respected. This does not mean that we should shy away from reporting about what happens in the courts, but it needs to be done thoroughly and responsibly, with a distinct emphasis on treating everyone with the respect they deserve.

If you are aware of any incident where we did not report in a fair and unbiased manner, even if it is unintentional, please let us know. We gladly publish the true facts, and in cases where suspects prove their innocence, this must be reported in a similar manner as the original stories that cast doubt over their integrity. - Editor.)