Evidence led during the bail hearing of Sandile Mantsoe‚ who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Karabo Mokoena‚ may not be broadcast or published.

The ruling was made in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday in order to protect witnesses who may be called or mentioned during proceedings.

The murder investigation is at a sensitive stage‚ according to the state and defence.

Mantsoe is accused of killing Mokoena‚ who was found burnt beyond recognition at a dump site in Lyndhurst in Gauteng‚ on April 29.

The prosecution team said it wanted to protect witnesses who may be mentioned during the proceedings.

“Sensitive information will come to the fore and this may affect outcomes of the trial‚” said prosecutor John Metswamere.

Mantsoe was expected to apply for bail using information contained in an affidavit. That information and the state’s response may not be published.

 Only the judgment handed down in the bail application will be made public.

Magistrate Carlo Labuschagne initially said that he had difficulty understanding the arguments as both the state and defence had had no objections to media coverage in Mantsoe’s previous appearance.

Sandile’s defence argued that his first appearance two weeks ago transformed the court into “a circus with cameras flashing as if on a red carpet“.