Cleveland mass shooting: State to oppose bail for three Lesotho nationals

The State is expected to oppose bail for three Lesotho nationals accused of a mass shooting that killed 13 people at the Jumpers informal settlement east of Johannesburg last month.

Three men who are facing 13 counts of murder and 14 counts of attempted murder had their case postponed on Thursday for further consultations ahead of their bail application next Friday.

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Their lawyer, Advocate Phumudzo Sadiki, maintains police have arrested the wrong men.

Lawyer for the trio, Advocate Phumudzo Sadiki, claims his clients were only linked to the shooting because they are Basotho and nothing more.

He claims they were assaulted and coerced into signing confession statements, statements which he intends to challenge.

“They didn’t even know what was entailed in those statements. I have shown them the statements. I have managed to get hold of the statements. I have shown them the alleged confessions, and they have indicated that they were only informed to sign. They are indicating that they were assaulted, and they were just made to sign.”

Sadiki said, despite the horrific charges the men are facing and their being foreign nationals, there is no basis for the state to oppose bail.

“They have been in South Africa for a while. They have got… Addresses have been verified positively, so I was informed by the investigating officers. They have got their spouses who are residing here in South Africa.”

Sadiki has denied that his clients are involved in illegal mining and earn a living through recycling.

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