The case of a 19-year-old accused of murder was postponed to Thursday 16 April in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court for further investigation. Bheki Manxiwa made his second appearance today and was charged with nine counts of murder, attempted murder and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
He was arrested on Friday 23 January in connection with the shooting and killing of nine people at a shebeen in the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi East early last month. (“Young man (19) in the dock after Marikana mass killing,” City Vision, 29 January 2026).
The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape, Eric Ntabazalila, said the defence told the court the accused had abandoned his right to apply for bail. “The state informed the court it is going to add charges under Prevention Organised Crime Act (POCA) as investigations have revealed he is part of a gang called the 2Cs, who are in conflict with another gang from the Marikana area over extortion.” A Marikana community leader who refused to be named for fear of reprisals said as long as the accused is in jail the community is delighted.
“All we want is to see murderers rot in jail,” he said, adding that the shebeen where the incident occurred was still closed. “It is better for him to stay inside than outside. I think he is safe there [in jail]. We are still moaning as the community and we don’t want to do something that we will regret later.”
The leader said all they need is for the suspect to tell the court who instructed them to kill innocent people.
“I still maintain that there are other people behind all these extortion related incidents. He must tell the court the truth. Where did they get the guns?”
