The 57-year-old man accused of killing Pfano Screamer Nare (18) was granted bail of R10 000 when he appeared for a formal bail application in the Dzanani Magistrate's Court last Wednesday (8 May) .
Esrom Mabirimisa's lawyer argued that the accused was a first offender and had no previous criminal convictions, and that he had at least three wives and children from different marriages who all depended on him for their livelihood. The accused's defence also read from an affidavit that some of these children are at tertiary level, and if the accused was to stay longer in jail, their lives could be disadvantaged.
It was further heard in court that Mabirimisa is a former municipal supervisor, who now runs a taxi business in Gauteng. "The accused posseses no passport and, if granted bail, he will never interfere with the State witnesses in this case," said the lawyer.
The State accepted Mabirimisa's arguments and granted bail. As part of the bail conditions, the accused is required to report to the nearest police station between 06:00 and18:00 on Mondays.
The circumstances that led to Mabirimisa's arrest are that he allegedly found three young men walking along the Manyii Bridge at around 20:00 in Nzhelele. It is alleged that he fired two shots in the air and five shots at the men, who were now running for their lives. One of the men, who was later identified as Pfano Nare, was hit by a bullet in the back of the head and later died in hospital in the early hours of 29 April.
Mabirimisa had apparently laid a charge of attempted car hi-jacking against the deceased and the other two men who were with him at the time of the incident. It is said that the accused claimed that the three men had gathered a heap of stones by the roadside and were throwing the stones at his car.
The case against Mabirimisa was postponed to 3 July, pending further investigations.