Pretoria - A 51-year-old woman has been served with summons to return to court on charges of murder and aggravated robbery which was previously withdrawn by the High Court in Mbombela last year.
Hawks’ provincial spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said the accused woman was served with summons on Wednesday by the Nelspruit-based Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation, instructing her to return to court for murder and aggravated robbery.
The woman will appear before the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on August 12.
“The Hawks discovered new evidence against her after an intensive investigation. During the probe, it was discovered that the suspect was with the two already life sentence-serving prisoners, Shaun Oosthuizen, 42, and John Leonard Du Plooy, 32, during the incident,” said Sekgotodi.
“It is alleged that on July 8, 2018, the trio entered the Macadamia Old Age Home in Mpumalanga where they robbed and murdered Hendrietta Catherine Potgieter, 85, and fled the crime scene with the victim’s jewellery.”
The suspects were arrested separately and the case against the 51-year-old female was withdrawn in court due to insufficient evidence at the time.
“After the case was handed over to the Hawks for further investigation, the accused was re-arrested and her case was placed back onto the court roll,” said Sekgotodi.
Meanwhile, Hawks’ provincial head in Mpumalanga, Major General Zodwa Mokoena has saluted the investigating team “for their perseverance and hard work in ensuring that the accused has her day in court”.
IOL