Pick n Pay robbery: Suspects appear in Knysna Court

KNYSNA NEWS - Two men and a woman who were arrested in connection with a robbery at Knysna Pick n Pay on 25 February, appeared in the Knysna Magistrate's Court for bail application on Wednesday 9 April.

The two men (37 and 21) and a woman (46) were arrested between Makhanda and Peddie in the Eastern Cape on the afternoon of the robbery. They were found in possession of R50 000 cash and two unlicensed firearms.

All three were charged with robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms. They first appeared in the Peddie Magistrate's Court, after which the case was transferred to the Knysna SAPS.

Accused number one cross-examination

During their first bail application on Wednesday, the two men were cross-examined. Due to time constraints, it was decided that the woman would take the stand on Tuesday 15 April.

Accused no 1 was wearing a navy K-Way jacket and no 2 a maroon jacket that looked similar to the one on the photo that was taken on their arrest. Accused number three, the woman, was in a wheelchair.

The 37-year-old man, who is accused number one, first took the stand. With only five people in attendance, State Prosecutor Nontuthuzelo Siluma grilled him with questions, some of which he struggled to answer. The accused told the court that he comes from the village's of Middledrift in the Eastern Cape.

He said he is unemployed, does not receive any government grant and depends on casual jobs only, where he gets between R300 and R600 a day.

He admitted to one previous conviction, in 2018, of assault, for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison. Further questioning by Magistrate Zukiswa Hans and prosecutor Siluma brought to light that he was in fact convicted of assault and attempted murder on that occasion.

After accused no 1 again stated that he had no other convictions or outstanding warrants for arrest, and was not under parole, further questioning revealed that he had also been convicted for robbery in 2008, as well as for escaping from custody in a murder case, for which he had been sentenced 15 years in jail.

When confronted about his lies, accused no 1 apologised and said he was "frightened" and didn't know what he was saying.

However, Siluma would have none of that, telling the accused, "You intentionally misled the court and you were not frightened".

Accused were in Knysna on robbery day

Siluma stated that accused no 1 was in Knysna on 24 and 25 February and that he, together with his co-accused, were seen sleeping in the woman's (accused no 3) vehicle, to which he replied that he was in Knysna "to buy clothes that I will sell back home as a means of doing business". He said he left Knysna on the afternoon of 25 February.

Siluma then told him that the vehicle was seen dropping him and accused no 2 off in town at about 06:00 on 25 February, that a robbery took place at P n P later that same day where R50 000 was taken, and that the accused then stole a blue vehicle parked nearby from its driver at gunpoint to use as escape car.

Siluma said the accused left the vehicle near the Witness of God Church in Knysna. Accused no 2 also stayed behind there and was seen being picked up by another car.

Siluma stated that when accused no 1 was arrested later that day, together with the other two accused, he was wearing the same clothes that he was seen wearing in Knysna. To all this, accused no 1 said he "didn't know anything about that".

The prosecutor had no further questions.

Accused not related or friends

District court legal practitioner Nanikie Kgasi questioned accused no 2, who said he was from Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape. There is no family relationship between him and accused number one, but they are acquaintances. He was also in Knysna to buy clothes on the day of the robbery. "We ended up not buying the clothes since they were expensive."