Trio charged with Ditebogo Phalane's murder want out of prison
Elia Maeko, Ali Sithole and Nido Gumbi face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Three of the four men arrested by police for the murder of five-year-old Ditebogo Phalane appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrates Court on 28 May 2024. Picture: Kgomotso Modise/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The men charged with five-year-old Ditebogo Junior Phalane’s murder want out of prison.
They have now changed their mind and want to apply for bail.
Ditebogo was killed in a botched hijacking in Soshanguve in May. He was met by an armed gang of men who opened fire on him, when he ran outside to greet his father as he returned home.
Elia Maeko, Ali Sithole and Nido Gumbi face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Gumbi also faces charges of being in the country illegally while Maeko faces separate charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
They previously abandoned bail but have since had a change of heart.
And on Tuesday in court, their lawyer indicated that they now wanted to bring an application.
The matter’s been postponed until 5 September for the application to be heard and to add Maeko’s other charges to the main case.