Two men appearing on charges of illegal possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a licence and possession of stolen property have been granted bail of R500 each.
Michael Kwaki (36) and Simnikiwe Siyabonga Ntonga (37) appeared in the Hermanus Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 1 November.
They were arrested on 13 October along with Sandile Lumatha, who stands accused of De Necker van Schalkwyk’s murder.
Van Schalkwyk’s body, with a gunshot wound to the back of his head, was found along Rotary Way on the morning of Wednesday 11 October, after he had been reported missing the previous day.
The police discovered Van Schalkwyk’s abandoned vehicle after an extensive search. When they returned to the scene the next morning they discovered the young man’s body not far from where his vehicle was found.
The Zoutpansberger, a community newspaper based in Makhado (Louis Trichardt) in Limpopo, reported earlier this year that Van Schalkwyk, who moved to Hermanus months ago, was allegedly the mastermind behind a suspected Ponzi scheme involving millions of rand.
Eric Ntabazalila, the provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said: “The state alleges Lumatha murdered the deceased and he (Lumatha) was later robbed by the two other accused of items that had belonged to the deceased.” A 9 mm pistol was one of the stolen items that had been recovered.
Magistrate M de Vos pointed out that the case against Kwaki and Ntonga was a “very serious matter”. He, however, granted Kwaki and Ntonga bail of R500 each.
Lumatha, who appeared shortly before Ntonga and Kwaki, will remain in custody until Tuesday 7 November, when his Schedule 6 formal bail application will be heard. With a Schedule 6 offence the onus rests on the accused and his lawyer to prove that “exceptional circumstances” exist for the accused to be released on bail.
