BLOEMFONTEIN – The pre-trial proceedings in which Songezo Steven Jakane (Sejakane) (43) stands accused of the alleged ruthless murder of female teacher Mpho Judith Moalosi, is set to resume in the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein. This is scheduled to continue from 17 to 21 November.
Sejakane briefly appeared in court during June, with the matter adjourned to the said date.
He allegedly killed Moalosi by running over her body multiple times with the deceased’s vehicle near the G4S Mangaung Prison. The police reported that Moalosi’s body was found along the Dewetsdorp Road.
Evidence gathered by the police revealed the victim was murdered on Monday 16 June. At the time, she worked full-time at the Tsoseletso Secondary School in Bloemfontein.
The murder case reached this stage after Jakane’s desperate bid to obtain bail in the Regional Court was unsuccessful. The court turned down his bail applications considering the lead investigator’s testimony that releasing the accused would not be in the interests of justice.
In addition, he cited that Jakane was a flight risk. It was also considered a violation of the bail condition in a pending gender-based violence (GBV) case against him. The court found that in the murder case, the interests of justice required the accused to remain in custody.
Sejakane has been remanded in custody since June 2024 following his arrest regarding the cold-blooded murder of Moalosi, with whom he had a love affair.
Additional evidence linking Jakane to Moalosi’s murder includes blood samples found in the car he used to commit the crime. The police collected the blood for forensic analysis as part of an investigation in the murder case.
Jakane, known as DJ Jakes, explored all avenues in his desperate bid to get bail in the Regional Court. Through his female attorney, he presented a number of facts for the state to consider for bail. These include the following:
■ Ill-health regarding an asthmatic condition he apparently suffers, exacerbated by the purported lack of provision of medical care.
■ Food poisoning and purported risky conditions in the prison cell where he is remanded.
■ He argued that his prolonged stay in jail was severely impacting his two adopted children.
■ He pointed to the impact on his ability to continue with charity work through his SSS Foundation, for which he was a finalist for the 2018 South African Men of the Year awards.
Jakane’s attorney further explored case laws and submitted two additional affidavits for the granting of bail.
Case laws were referenced, while a signed petition opposing bail was also considered. The women’s rights advocacy organisation Buang Basadi submitted the petition.
Sejakane has two pending cases pertaining GBV against him with the murder of Moalosi being the third.
One GBV case involves a teenage girl, and the other an adult woman – the latter being a former lover.
Jakane had been released on bail set at R1 000 at the time of the murder of Moalosi.
Apart from fighting for his right to get bail, Jakane also attempted to bar the media from covering the proceedings in Moalosi’s savage murder in the lower court.
In protest of Sejakane’s bid to disprove the allegations against him, women’s rights advocacy groups have organised a march tying with the pre-trial hearing in the High Court.
