Soshanguve patroller killings: Suspect claims he was assaulted in police custody, asks for medical attention

JOHANNESBURG - One of the men arrested following this week’s brutal Soshanguve killings has asked the Pretoria North Magistrates Court for medical attention.

Two men, aged 27 and 50, made separate appearances on Wednesday on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and live rounds of ammunition.

The 27-year-old has also been charged with being an undocumented foreigner.

The sitting was closed to the public, with only the media and court personnel allowed, as the men were due to appear in an identity parade.

The suspects also could not be named or filmed.

While the men are being investigated for the murders of six community patrollers from the Mary Me informal settlement in Soshanguve, they have not been charged for the crime.

That’s why they appeared separately in the Pretoria North Magistrates Court.

When the 50-year-old suspect made his way from the holding cells into the dock, he told his Legal Aid lawyer, Thulani Kekana, that he had been assaulted while in police custody and needed medical attention.

Magistrate Thandi Theledi asked to see the wounds, which the man showed.

Magistrate Theledi did not make a ruling on the suspect’s request, but it was noted by the court.

Both suspects, who cannot be named until their identity parades, will return to court on Tuesday.