No Nelson Mandela Bay trials ‘anytime soon’

As Covid-19 cases sweep through prisons and inmates at St Albans prison claim to be on a hunger strike, a Port Elizabeth acting judge on Tuesday expressed concerns that awaiting-trial prisoners would not be standing trial for their alleged crimes “anytime soon”. 

“I doubt this will happen anytime soon,” acting Port Elizabeth High Court judge Olav Ronaasen said when yet another case was postponed when two men accused of a brutal murder were not transported from the prison to the Central-based court.

Ronaasen said following newspaper reports of the situation — fears over Covid-19 and prisoners who claimed to be on hunger strikes — it was doubtful they would stand trial soon.

The trial of Remeo Booysen, 21, and  Renaldo Kamoetoe, 27, was made to continue on Tuesday.

Booysen and Kamoetoe are alleged to have to brutally murdered a Jeffreys Bay man in April 2017.

On Tuesday, The Herald reported that inmates at the maximum security section of St Albans had said they were on a hunger strike  following allegations of human rights violations.

Inmates being held in the maximum security section told The Herald that members of a national task team sent to the prison to quell prisoner uprisings had allegedly been abusing prisoners and beating them for frivolous reasons.

This while other inmates in different sections of the prison claimed they feared for their lives due to correctional services officials not being transparent about the number of inmates or officials who had tested positive for Covid-19.

Correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo at the time denied all the allegations.

On Tuesday, a court orderly at the Port Elizabeth High Court, who cannot be named as he is not permitted to the speak to the media, said if there was a hunger strike at St Albans no prisoners would be brought to court.

In a directive sent to various stakeholders two weeks ago by the prison management, various parties were informed that St Albans would not be taking prisoners to the courts until Covid-19 test results of all the accused in the remand centre had been received following a confirmed positive case.

On Tuesday, state prosecutor, advocate Baartman told the court no further directives had been received,  prompting Ronaasen to instruct Baartman to follow up with the investigating officer in the Kamoetoe and Booysen case about the situation at St Albans and to inform all the parties of the outcome.

Booysen and Kamoetoe face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances after they allegedly attacked Jonathan Zane Hayward, 29, outside Club Beachfront in Jeffreys Bay on April 29 2017.

Hayward’s badly beaten body was found later that day about 90m from Club Beachfront near a bottle store in Pellsrus.

Booysen and Kamoetoe were arrested the next day.

Both men have pleaded not guilty.

The state is expected to call two more witnesses including retired Humansdorp magistrate Floris van Zyl, who took a confession statement from Booysen.

The matter was provisionally postponed to July 20.