By BONGANI FUZILE and SIKHO NTSHOBANE
One more of the “Seven Angels” has appeared in court following the recent attack on the Ngcobo Police Station.
Banele Mancoba, 30, the second leading member of the Angels Ministry Church to come to court, appeared before Ngcobo magistrate Nozuko Mviko alongside co-accused Siphenathi Mafikwana, 29.
They face charges of conspiracy to commit robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Links between cases involving the “Angels” in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal came thick and fast yesterday.
This follows the arrest of four members of the Angels Ministry Church in connection with the death of KwaZulu-Natal church leader Ndumiso Jali and his wife by a police task team.
Jali and his unnamed wife were shot and killed at their premises in Clydesdale in Umzimkhulu early last month.
The Jalis were leading members of the controversial church and even housed the Mancobas on Jali’s land in Umzimkhulu – until the two families had a fallout.
Shortly before the Jali slayings, several of the Mancoba brothers were seen in the area hours later, demanding Jali’s corpse and saying he belonged to the church, sources told the Dispatch.
The couple were shot and killed two weeks before the Ngcobo police massacre on February 21, which left five police officers and a soldier dead.
A number of Mancoba church members were later arrested in connection with the police slayings.
Two days later, on February 23, the Angels Ministry Church premises was the scene of a gun battle in which a special police task team raided the compound and fatally shot seven people, three of them Mancoba brothers and so-called “angels”.
A source said Andani Monco, 30, and Kwenele Ndlwana, 22, appeared in court in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday but were not asked to plead and were held in custody until their next appearance.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane confirmed that two suspects appeared in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the murders.
“We can confirm that two suspects aged between 20 and 30 appeared today in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court for two counts of murder and house robbery where a pastor and his wife were killed and cash taken from their house last month. They were remanded in custody until March 31 for a bail application,” said Zwane.
Zwane was not sure what had happened to two other suspects believed to be in police custody. “Only those two appeared yesterday and we are not sure about the rest,” he said.
On Sunday, Eastern Cape Hawks spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni confirmed that four suspects between the ages of 20 and 30 were arrested by police over the weekend in connection with the murder of the Jalis.
“The multidisciplinary task team led by the Hawks assisted in cracking the Umzimkhulu double murder case. Suspects arrested for the case also appeared in Ngcobo Magistrate's Court last week for the police killings,” said Feni.
On Saturday, the Dispatch reported how Mancoba church founder Siphiwo Mancoba was killed in April 2015 at the Jali church premises. At the time, Jali wanted Mancoba and his followers and their tents off his land but Mancoba refused.
The allegation is that the two had a fight and Mancoba was killed and his body burnt on the church premises.
Mancoba followers then left the church premises, accusing Jali of the killing and promising to return and avenge their father’s death.
Banele Mancoba and Siphenathi Mafikwana were arrested at the weekend.
Both suspects opted to conduct their own defence. They told Magistrate Mviko they did not want to apply for bail.
Banele is the second Mancoba brother to be arrested following the capture of Phuthumile Mancoba, 31, who appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder and possession of an unlicenced firearm.
Yesterday, both Mancoba and Mafikwana cut forlorn figures as they were led inside the courtroom by heavily-armed police.
Wearing a green jacket with a hood, Mancoba did not turn to look at the packed gallery inside Court C.
When asked by Mviko whether he wanted a legal aid lawyer to represent him, or if would conduct his own defence or pay for the services of his own lawyer, Mancoba told the magistrate: Ndizakuzithethela .”
Mafikwana also told Mviko that he wanted to conduct his own defence.
Mviko then told the pair that they had a right to apply for bail.
She told them that before the court could entertain any bail application, they were compelled to disclose any previous convictions and cases pending against them.
Both suspects said they had none and also told her that they did not want to be released on bail.
The case was postponed to April 30 for further investigation after the state told Mviko that there were still statements that it needed to obtain from witnesses.
A third suspect arrested with the pair will appear in court today.
Ngcobo mayor Lizeka Bongo-Tyali, who attended the court appearance, said the incidents of the past few weeks had tarnished the image of her town and driven away investors wanting to invest in Ngcobo.
“We are hurt by what has happened here.” — sikhon@dispatch.co.za/
bonganif@dispatch.co.za
‘Angels’ gang: 4 more in court
One more of the “Seven Angels” has appeared in court following the recent attack on the Ngcobo Police Station.
Banele Mancoba, 30, the second leading member of the Angels Ministry Church to come to court, appeared before Ngcobo magistrate Nozuko Mviko alongside co-accused Siphenathi Mafikwana, 29.
They face charges of conspiracy to commit robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Links between cases involving the “Angels” in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal came thick and fast yesterday.
This follows the arrest of four members of the Angels Ministry Church in connection with the death of KwaZulu-Natal church leader Ndumiso Jali and his wife by a police task team.
Jali and his unnamed wife were shot and killed at their premises in Clydesdale in Umzimkhulu early last month.
The Jalis were leading members of the controversial church and even housed the Mancobas on Jali’s land in Umzimkhulu – until the two families had a fallout.
Shortly before the Jali slayings, several of the Mancoba brothers were seen in the area hours later, demanding Jali’s corpse and saying he belonged to the church, sources told the Dispatch.
The couple were shot and killed two weeks before the Ngcobo police massacre on February 21, which left five police officers and a soldier dead.
A number of Mancoba church members were later arrested in connection with the police slayings.
Two days later, on February 23, the Angels Ministry Church premises was the scene of a gun battle in which a special police task team raided the compound and fatally shot seven people, three of them Mancoba brothers and so-called “angels”.
A source said Andani Monco, 30, and Kwenele Ndlwana, 22, appeared in court in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday but were not asked to plead and were held in custody until their next appearance.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane confirmed that two suspects appeared in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the murders.
“We can confirm that two suspects aged between 20 and 30 appeared today in the Umzimkhulu Magistrate’s Court for two counts of murder and house robbery where a pastor and his wife were killed and cash taken from their house last month. They were remanded in custody until March 31 for a bail application,” said Zwane.
Zwane was not sure what had happened to two other suspects believed to be in police custody. “Only those two appeared yesterday and we are not sure about the rest,” he said.
On Sunday, Eastern Cape Hawks spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni confirmed that four suspects between the ages of 20 and 30 were arrested by police over the weekend in connection with the murder of the Jalis.
“The multidisciplinary task team led by the Hawks assisted in cracking the Umzimkhulu double murder case. Suspects arrested for the case also appeared in Ngcobo Magistrate's Court last week for the police killings,” said Feni.
On Saturday, the Dispatch reported how Mancoba church founder Siphiwo Mancoba was killed in April 2015 at the Jali church premises. At the time, Jali wanted Mancoba and his followers and their tents off his land but Mancoba refused.
The allegation is that the two had a fight and Mancoba was killed and his body burnt on the church premises.
Mancoba followers then left the church premises, accusing Jali of the killing and promising to return and avenge their father’s death.
Banele Mancoba and Siphenathi Mafikwana were arrested at the weekend.
Both suspects opted to conduct their own defence. They told Magistrate Mviko they did not want to apply for bail.
Banele is the second Mancoba brother to be arrested following the capture of Phuthumile Mancoba, 31, who appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder and possession of an unlicenced firearm.
Yesterday, both Mancoba and Mafikwana cut forlorn figures as they were led inside the courtroom by heavily-armed police.
Wearing a green jacket with a hood, Mancoba did not turn to look at the packed gallery inside Court C.
When asked by Mviko whether he wanted a legal aid lawyer to represent him, or if would conduct his own defence or pay for the services of his own lawyer, Mancoba told the magistrate: Ndizakuzithethela .”
Mafikwana also told Mviko that he wanted to conduct his own defence.
Mviko then told the pair that they had a right to apply for bail.
She told them that before the court could entertain any bail application, they were compelled to disclose any previous convictions and cases pending against them.
Both suspects said they had none and also told her that they did not want to be released on bail.
The case was postponed to April 30 for further investigation after the state told Mviko that there were still statements that it needed to obtain from witnesses.
A third suspect arrested with the pair will appear in court today.
Ngcobo mayor Lizeka Bongo-Tyali, who attended the court appearance, said the incidents of the past few weeks had tarnished the image of her town and driven away investors wanting to invest in Ngcobo.
“We are hurt by what has happened here.” — sikhon@dispatch.co.za/
bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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