The conspiracy-to-commit-murder case against senior regional magistrate Ronnie Rambau was temporarily withdrawn in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 5 September.

The case against Rambau relates to a hit list he had allegedly compiled earlier this year. According to information, the case was temporarily withdrawn to give the police more time to investigate the matter. At the time of going to press, the national prosecuting authority had yet to confirm this information.

Among the names on the hit list are those of district magistrate Chris Mthombeni, district magistrate Marie Viljoen, senior state prosecutor André Weideman, district prosecutor Reino Mostert, district prosecutor Hylke Janse van Rensburg, senior prosecutor Deon Laminga and three policemen (a captain and two sergeants). All nine are involved in Rambau’s pending corruption case in Musina. During his first appearance in January, Rambau did not deny writing the list. According to him, he approached witch doctors with the list, so that they could liberate the people on the list from the hatred they felt against him.

In the meantime, Rambau’s corruption trial, along with two fellow lawmen, continued in the Musina Magistrate´s Court last week. A surprise application bought the trio more time when the trial picked up were it left off in April.

All three, Rambau, attorney T E Lubisi and state prosecutor Estene Willemse, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them, which comprises a charge sheet of more than seven pages. The main charges brought against them include corruption and conspiracy to commit corruption.

The charges were brought against Rambau, Lubisi and Willemse in February last year when they were arrested in a police trap.

The trap was held within the Musina area, with the aim of catching corrupt officials who sabotage the course of justice by pre-determining the sentence of vehicle theft cases via a plea agreement. The three accused allegedly also received bribe money in murder and rape cases.

Rambau and Lubisi never denied the fact that money was exchanged between them. According to the two, the money that was found in their possession was money that Lubisi had paid to Rambau for a vehicle that Lubisi had bought from him.

During last Monday’s court appearance, the police officials involved in the operation finished testifying for the State. By Tuesday and Wednesday, senior prosecutor Reino Mostert and regional court prosecutor Hilke Janse van Rensburg finished their testimony.

By Thursday, however, the case had to be postponed when Rambau’s advocate, Mr Johan Hatting, brought an application to prevent Capt Moller, an expert witness, from testifying for the State. Moller would have testified about the money allegedly received by Rambau to influence the outcome of certain court cases.

Hatting argued that evidence of the money had already been brought before the court and that Moller’s evidence was therefore not necessary. In addition, Hatting also claimed that Moller was basing his evidence on opinion, not on facts.

“He cannot influence the court. The court should draw its own conclusions,” said Hatting.

As a result, the State asked for a postponement to give them time to prepare an adequate response to the application. The case was postponed until October 10.