Fury over twin murder accused bail bid

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Pretoria - As double murder accused Sajid Khan is expected to make his formal bail application on Monday, religious people, community members and civic organisations are demanding that he be denied that right. The 44-year-old Pakistani national is accused of fatally shooting Mamelodi businessman and social activist, Mukhtar Matlala, and Avela Mbewu in Pretoria West last weekend. The organisations yesterday marched to the Pretoria West police station to hand over a memorandum of demands calling for, among other things, that police thoroughly investigate the accused’s business dealings. He appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court earlier this week, and the matter was adjourned to February 10. They further want an investigation on how his citizenship was acquired.

They say the gun allegedly used to kill the two should be investigated for legality and to see if it cannot be linked to other crimes.

Matlala, Mbewu and other residents had embarked on a campaign to question illegal dwellers who occupied hijacked residential properties in the area on the day they were killed.

“We are infuriated by the senseless killing of our young brothers, who were brutally murdered in cold blood. Matlala was a social activist passionately involved in several civic and community organisation, a brilliant tech entrepreneur who had founded Kasi Eats, an app service for township cuisine deliveries and supplier logistics.

“We demand that the police do their job and start protecting South African citizens against the continued onslaught by criminals who are foreigners,” the memorandum read.

The protesters also demanded that all buildings and land hijacked in Tshwane be turned into community centres or converted into social houses.

Matlata, a 33-year-old entrepreneur, was shot in Luttig Street, Pretoria West, bringing both anger and pain to those who admired him for having made the top 30 list of Forbes Young Entrepreneurs.

The suspect allegedly fled the crime scene and only handed himself over to police on Monday.

An organisation calling themselves Pakistani Community of Africa condemned the generalisation and stereotyping of law-abiding citizens.

“It is a dangerous position of incitement to put the entire Pakistani community as a guilty party. We appeal to civil societies and NPOs to practise restraint and not spread hate speech messages which create dizziness and disharmonies in our communities."

Pretoria News