A Tshwane metro police officer was today ordered by a Pretoria magistrate to be at the next court appearance of Blue Bulls rugby player Jacobus Stephanus “Bees” Roux.
Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair made the order after Roux’s lawyer Rudi Krause told the packed court he had subpoenaed the official, identified as Leonard Erasmus, to appear, along with certain documentation.
Krause said Erasmus had not brought the papers with him.
It was not revealed in court what the documentation contained.
Roux, who is out on R100 000 bail, stands accused of murdering 38-year-old Tshwane metro police officer Ntshimane Johannes Mogale in August.
Nair also granted an order that the R100 000 bail be converted to a guarantee for which Krause’s firm would be liable if Roux failed to honour his bail conditions.
Speaking after Roux’s appearance, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga said he was aware of the documents, but questioned the reasoning behind Roux’s lawyer’s attempts to obtain the documents.
“We are aware of the nature of the documents, but our reservations with the whole subpoeana is the fact there seems to be an attempt to run a parallel investigative process when there is a police investigation under way and there is a fear that that might impede that investigation.”
He said Roux’s legal team had not yet been provided with copies of the evidence of what would be used in a high court trial.
The investigations were “at an advanced stage” and before the end of the year all the documentation would be handed to Roux’s legal team.
Metro Police spokesperson William Baloyi said Erasmus was an officer in the department’s internal investigations division.
Erasmus also declined to comment when he left the Pretoria Magistrates Court.
The court room was packed with reporters, curious onlookers and a number of off-duty metro police officers.
Roux declined to speak to the media, but his agent James Adams said there was frustration that Roux’s legal team had not been supplied the documentation.
However, they were now happy with the assurances provided by the court that they would receive the documentation.
He too, would not reveal the nature of the documentation.
Roux’s case was postponed to February 8 next year.
