The two police officers arrested for the murder of a Tshwane University of Technology final-year law student were released on R2000 bail each by the Soshanguve magistrate's court, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday.
Soshanguve police station-based constable John Slender,40, and Captain Joseph Rapoo,51, were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Monday for the murder of Andries Katlego Monareng‚ 26‚ in August.
The law student was fatally shot during a protest that erupted following allegations of irregularities and the rigging of SRC elections at the Soshanguve campus.
Magistrate Hanlie Luus agreed with the defence lawyers that it was in the interest of justice that the accused be released on bail as they had no previous convictions, had no pending cases against them and their addresses were confirmed.
Cops accused of TUT law student's murder out on R2000 bail
The two police officers arrested for the murder of a Tshwane University of Technology final-year law student were released on R2000 bail each by the Soshanguve magistrate's court, north of Pretoria, on Tuesday.
Soshanguve police station-based constable John Slender,40, and Captain Joseph Rapoo,51, were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) on Monday for the murder of Andries Katlego Monareng‚ 26‚ in August.
The law student was fatally shot during a protest that erupted following allegations of irregularities and the rigging of SRC elections at the Soshanguve campus.
Magistrate Hanlie Luus agreed with the defence lawyers that it was in the interest of justice that the accused be released on bail as they had no previous convictions, had no pending cases against them and their addresses were confirmed.
She said the public needed to understand that bail application proceedings were not punishment for a crime and that a person could not be denied their “liberties simply because they have been charged with a crime” .
The granting of bail, however, did not go down well with students that packed the public gallery of courtroom A.
The students exclaimed loudly in disappointment after the magistrate read out her ruling and they have vowed to march to the department of justice to protest.
The matter was postponed until January 25 for further investigation.