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# South Africa: Western Cape High Court, Cape Town
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[2022] ZAWCHC 254
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## Aninwangu v S (A28/2022; G914/2021)
[2022] ZAWCHC 254 (28 April 2022)
Aninwangu v S (A28/2022; G914/2021)
[2022] ZAWCHC 254 (28 April 2022)
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sino date 28 April 2022
In
the High Court of South Africa
(Western
Cape Division, Cape Town)
Bail appeal case number:
A28/2022
Magistrate’s Court
case number: G914/2021
In the matter between:
PRINCE
DANIEL
ANINWANGU
Appellant
and
THE
STATE
Respondent
JUDGMENT DELIVERED ON
28 APRIL 2022
VAN ZYL AJ:
Introduction
1.
This is an appeal by the appellant against the
refusal of bail by the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on 17
December 2021.
2.
The appellant is charged with two counts, namely
(1) dealing in drugs and (2) the contravention of section 49(1) of
the Immigration
Act 13 of 2002 (it is alleged that he remained in the
Republic of South Africa illegally). It appears from the record that
on 24
November 2021 near Delft the appellant, together with his
co-accused, were found in possession of Mandrax and Tik valued at
approximately
R1,4 million. The State further alleges that the
appellants does not have the required immigration status in the
Republic.
3.
Aggrieved by the refusal of the bail application,
the appellant appeals against the refusal in terms of section 65(1)
of the Criminal
Procedure Act, 1977 (“the CPA”). The
appellant refers to the fact that he has a family in Cape Town,
including three
children attending school, living with him and
dependent on him. He argues that the magistrate was wrong in refusing
bail, as it
misdirected itself as regards the law and the facts.
4.
In the premises, the appellant seeks that his
appeal be upheld and for an order releasing him on such conditions as
this Court may
deem fit.
5.
The State opposes the
appeal upon considerations that will be dealt with in the course of
the discussion below.
The
appellant stands accused of Schedule 5 offence
6.
The charges faced by
the appellant render Schedule 5 of the CPA applicable to this matter.
7.
The starting point in
bail applications generally is section 60(1)(a) of the CPA, which
provides that “
an
accused who is in custody in respect of an offence
shall … be entitled to be released on bail at any stage
preceding his
or her conviction in respect of such offence, if the
court is satisfied that the interests of justice so permit.
”
8.
Section 60(4) enjoins
the Court, in determining a bail application, to have regard to the
following factors in deciding whether
to grant bail:
“
The interests
of justice do not permit the release from detention of an accused
where one or more of the following grounds are established:
(a)
Where there is the likelihood that
the accused, if he or she were released on bail, will endanger the
safety of the public or any
particular person or will commit a
Schedule 1 offence; or
(b)
where there is the likelihood that
the accused, if he or she were released on bail, will attempt to
evade his or her trial; or
(c)
where there is the likelihood that
the accused, if he or she were released on bail, will attempt to
influence or intimidate witnesses
or to conceal or destroy evidence;
or
(d)
where there is the likelihood that
the accused, if he or she were released on bail, will undermine or
jeopardise the objectives
or the proper functioning of the criminal
justice system, including the bail system; or
(e)
where in exceptional circumstances
there is the likelihood that the release of the accused will disturb
the public order or undermine
the public peace or security
.”
9.
Section 60(11)(b) of
the CPA provides as follows:
“
Notwithstanding
any provisions of this Act, where an accused is charged with an
offence referred to-
(a)
…
(b)
In Schedule 5, but
not in Schedule 6, the court shall order that the accused be detained
in custody until he or she is dealt with
in accordance with the law,
unless the accused, having been given a reasonable opportunity to do
so, adduces evidence which satisfies
the court that the interests of
justice permit his or her release”
.
10.
In
Ntoni
and others v S
(5646/2018P)
[2018] ZAKZPHC 26 (21 June 2018) at para [25] the Court
held that a presiding officer must weigh up the personal interests
of
the appellant against the interests of justice as it appears from all
of the evidence presented.
11.
Bail appeals are
sui
generis
. They are
appeals in the wide sense. If there was any misdirection on the part
of the lower court, the appeal court engages in
a complete rehearing
and re-adjudication of whether bail should be granted. This is
subject thereto that in terms of section 65(2)
of the CPA, read with
section 63(3), the Court is bound by the record, and there is no
scope for placing additional facts before
the Court for the purposes
of the hearing on appeal (
S
v Ho
1979 (3) SA
734
(W) at 737G).
12.
Section 65(4) of the
CPA provides that the “
court
or judge hearing the appeal shall not set aside the decision against
which the appeal is brought, unless such court or judge
is satisfied
that the decision was wrong, in which event the court or judge shall
give the decision which in its or his opinion
the lower court should
have given.
”
In
S v Vanqa
2000 (2) SACR 371
(Tk) the Court held at page 372 that “
It
is quite clear from the provisions of the subsection that the duty to
satisfy the appeal Court that the lower court’s decision
was
wrong is borne by the appellant. It is also clear that the power of
the Court of appeal to interfere is heavily circumscribed
and is
limited to decisions proved to be wrong only. The fact that the
appeal Court could have granted bail had it been the court
of first
instance does not justify interference.
”
13.
A court may interfere
on appeal when the lower court misdirected itself materially in
respect of the relevant legal principles or
the facts of the case (
S
v Essop
2018 (1)
SACR 99
(GP) at paras [34]-[35]), or where the lower court over
looked important aspects in coming to its decision to refuse bail
(
Ramasia v S
(A24/2012)
[2012] ZAFSHC 88
(3 May 2012)). The power of the court on appeal are
thus similar to those in an appeal against conviction and sentence
(
S
v Ho
1979 (3) SA
734
(W) at 737H)
.
14.
Nevertheless, in
S
v Porthern and others
2004 (2) SA SACR 242
(C) the Court observed at para [17] that it remains necessary “
to
be mindful that a bail appeal, including one affected by the
provisions of section 60(11)(a), goes to the question of deprivation
of personal liberty. In my view, that consideration is a further
factor confirming that section 65(4) of the CPA should be construed
in a manner which does not unduly restrict the ambit of an appeal
court’s competence to decide that the lower court’s
discretion to refuse bail was ’wrong’”
.
15.
The mere fact that the
reasons for refusing bail are brief, is not in itself a sufficient
ground for the court of appeal to infer
that insufficient
consideration was given to the considerations set out in section 60
of the CPA (
S v Ali
2011 (1) SACR 34
(ECP) at para [15]).
16.
It is against this
background that I consider the facts at my disposal, and the argument
presented by the parties.
The case against
the appellant
17.
In the present matter,
the charges against the appellant are serious. The State argues that
there is a strong
prima
facie
case against
him.
18.
The appellant is a
Nigerian national, married to accused number 2 in the case against
them. By way of background, the police had
received information that
a Nigerian man was transporting large quantities of drugs in the
Delft area. A description of the vehicle
used was also provided.
19.
The police followed up
on the information received and traced the vehicle, which was being
driven by the appellant. During the investigation
the police
recovered and confiscated drugs valued at approximately R1,4 million,
as well as drug paraphernalia. These items were
found in the vehicle
and in the appellant’s and his wife’s house.
20.
The State mentions the
following additional factors as they appear from the record in
relation to the case against the appellant:
a.
The appellant is sought
on a J50 warrant of arrest for dealing in drugs in Sunnyside under
case number 123/05/2007.
b.
The appellant is not
legitimately in South Africa.
c.
The appellant has
previously been convicted of failing to adhere to his permit
conditions.
d.
The appellant
previously misrepresented to the Department of Home Affairs that he
has never been convicted of a criminal offence
in South Africa.
21.
The State’s
arguments in relation to the grounds of appeal will be deal with in
the course of the discussion below.
The strength of the
State’s case
22.
In relation to the
strength of the State case: there is no obligation on an applicant
for bail to challenge the strength of the
State case (
Panayiotou
v S
(CA&R
06 /2015)
[2015] ZAECGHC 73 (28 July 2015) at para [56]). But if the
applicant does choose to challenge the strength of
the State’s
case against him in bail proceedings, then he attracts a burden to of
proof to show that there is a real likelihood
that he will be
acquitted at trial. In
Panayiotou v S
(at para [57]), the Court held that,
in
order to enable the court to come to the conclusion that the State
case was weak or that he was likely to be acquitted, he was
required
to adduce convincing evidence to establish this.
23.
In the present matter
the appellant did not have insight into the docket and therefore
chose to remain silent. The magistrate therefore
found that the State
had a strong
prima
facie
case against
the appellant.
24.
The State argues that
the quantity of drugs in this matter indicate that the appellant is
an important cog in the larger machine
of organized crime. This is a
matter to be decided at the trial in due course. The appellant
informed the court that he had been
advised by his attorney that he
did not need to adduce evidence in relation to the charges at the
bail stage, and that he intended
to plead not guilty to the charges.
It is therefore not common cause that the State has a strong case.
25.
It
must be kept in mind however that a
prima
facie
case is not a basis, in itself, to refuse bail. In
S
v Dlamini; S v Dladla and others; S v Joubert; S v Schietekat
1999 (2) SACR 771
(CC) at para the Constitutional stated as follows
at para [11]: “
An
important point to note here about bail proceedings is so
self-evident that it is often overlooked. It is that there is a
fundamental
difference between the objective of bail proceedings and
that of the trial. In a bail application the enquiry is not really
concerned
with the question of guilt. That is the task of the trial
court. The court hearing the bail application is concerned with the
question
of possible guilt only to the extent that it may bear on
where the interests of justice lie in regard to bail. The focus at
the
bail stage is to decide whether the interests of justice permit
the release of the accused pending trial; and that entails in the
main protecting the investigation and prosecution of the case against
hindrance
.”
26.
At
para [53] the Constitutional Court states: “
The
broad policy considerations contemplated by the ‘interests of
justice’ test, in that context, can legitimately include
the
risk that the detainee will endanger a particular individual or the
public at large. Less obviously, but nonetheless constitutionally
acceptably, a risk that the detainee will commit a fairly serious
offence can be taken into account. The important proviso throughout
is that there has to be a likelihood, i.e. a probability, that such
risk will materialise. A possibility or suspicion will not
suffice.
At the same time, a finding that there is indeed such a likelihood is
no more than a factor, to be weighed with all others,
in deciding
what the interests of justice are
.”
The appellant’s
case, and a discussion of the ground of appeal
27.
The appellant stated
his case for the grant of bail on affidavit. He indicated there and
in his subsequent notice of appeal that:
a.
He is 49 years old.
b.
He has a fixed address
in Delft, and has lived in South Africa for nearly twenty years.
c.
He is married to
accused number 2 and they have 3 minor children. They children go to
school in Cape Town and are dependent upon
the appellant.
d.
He is employed as an
Uber driver and earns approximately R10 000,00 per month.
e.
Although the appellant
was convicted during 2010 in Polokwane for failing to adhere to his
permit conditions, the conviction was
subsequently expunged from his
criminal record. This was done on the appellant’s application
on 13 May 2021.
f.
He has a pending permit
application to regulate his residence in South Africa.
g.
The appellant did not
attack the strength of the State’s case in his evidence, but
chose to remain silent in respect thereof.
28.
On appeal, the
appellant argued that the magistrate had committed various
misdirections:
Firstly, the
magistrate found that he could not accept the appellant’s
bona
fides
on affidavit evidence
29.
The magistrate held
that, because of the fact that the appellant provided evidence by way
of affidavit instead of oral evidence,
the court could not accept
that the appellant was
bona
fide
or credible.
This was because, so the court held, “
in
general a case on affidavit evidence is not open to cross-examination
and is less persuasive…:
30.
The magistrate relied
on
S v Bruintjies
2003 (2) SACR 575
(SCA) in coming to this conclusion. That case is,
however, not authority for the proposition that the court cannot
accept
bona fides
upon affidavit evidence because, in that matter no evidence had been
placed before the court. The bail application was premised
on
statements from the bar. It was for that reason that the court could
not assess the appellant’s
bona
fides
(at 578C of
the report).
31.
S v Mathebula
2010 (1) SACR 55
(SCA), upon which
the magistrate also relied, concerned an appeal against the refusal
of bail where the appellant had to prove
exceptional circumstances to
permit his release on bail. He sought to discharge the onus by way of
an affidavit. In response, the
investigating officer also delivered
an affidavit. The Supreme Court of Appeal stated (at 569B) that the
appellant had attempted
to “tilt” the State’s case
by way of affidavit, which evidence was not open to cross-examination
and thus less
persuasive. Nothing further was said on the issue.
32.
In
S
v Pienaar
1992 (1)
SACR 178
(W) at 180C-I the Court held that, if the State is prepared
to accept an affidavit in support of a bail application, the need for
oral evidence falls away. There is nothing in the CPA that renders
the use of affidavits in bail proceedings impermissible, although
“
obviously an
affidavit will have less probative value than oral evidence which is
subject to the test of cross-examination.
”
33.
I agree with the
appellant’s counsel that these cases show that affidavits in
bail proceedings are permissible but that, in
the case of factual
disputes, may be less persuasive because they cannot be subjected to
cross-examination.
34.
The present matter,
however, do not pose any serious factual disputes. Aside from the
strength and merits of the State’s case
(which is to be dealt
with at trial), all of the personal facts set out in paragraph 22
above were common cause. The State also
did not dispute that the
appellant pays R3 000,00 rent per month in respect of his house, that
he is the sole breadwinner for his
family, and that all of his
personal ties are within the jurisdiction of the court.
35.
There was thus no
reason to doubt the
bona
fides
or
reliability of the appellant’s evidence (especially as such
evidence had been accepted by the State, which would have
had the
opportunity of investigating the veracity thereof). The fact that the
magistrate found otherwise constituted a material
misdirection which
tainted the rest of his judgment against the appellant.
Secondly, the
magistrate enquired into factual issues that were not in dispute
36.
Flowing from what is
set out above, it appears that the magistrate overlooked the common
cause facts in at least two respects: he
questioned the appellant’s
evidence in relation to his fixed address, and doubted the
appellant’s employment. These
are important facts in relation
to the consideration of the interests of justice,
inter
alia
in the
consideration of whether the appellant is a flight risk.
37.
Given that the State
had accepted that the appellant resided at the address specified and
paid rent in respect thereof, and that
the appellant was employed as
an Uber driver, the appellant did not have to provide further
information in relation to these facts.
If, for good reason, the
court required more evidence in support of these allegations, it
could have called for is prior to the
closing of the parties’
cases. This it did not do.
38.
In the circumstances,
the criticism levelled against the appellant at this stage to the
effect that his submission that he has a
legitimate source of income
leavers a lot to be desired does not assist the State, as it was not
disputed at the bail hearing that
the appellant’s income was
derived from his employment as an Uber driver.
39.
I agree with the
appellant’s counsel that, in effectively rejecting these common
cause facts, the court committed a further
misdirection.
Thirdly, the
magistrate placed reliance on the appellant’s previous
conviction which had been expunged
40.
In
S
v Smith
2017 (1)
SACR 520
(WCC) at 529A-C this Court stated as follows regarding the
relevance of expunged previous convictions in sentencing proceedings:
“
Apart
from the fact that these convictions did not involve violence, they
were more than 10 years old and should have been expunged
…
Unfortunately, the prosecutor made reference to them during the
cross-examination of Ms Cawood, a social worker called
for the
defence, when challenging her view that the appellant had not
displayed anti-social behaviour. Although I do not think
the
magistrate attached much weight to the previous convictions, she did
refer to them as undermining Ms Cawood’s opinion.
This was a
misdirection.
”
41.
The appellant argues
that, by analogy, the same applies to bail proceedings. The effect of
expungement is that the criminal record
in respect of the relevant
conviction is erased, and it is deemed never to have occurred.
42.
In
Molefe
v S
(2018) GDP
A129/18 (unreported decision of the Pretoria High Court), it was held
at para [11] that “
only
in the event that it was proven that the appellant had a previous
schedule 1 conviction which had not been expunged, would
his bail
application have resorted under schedule 6
”.
43.
The appellant properly
informed the lower court of the fact of the conviction, the basis
thereof, and the fact that it had been
expunged in 2021. The
appellant thus argues that the fact that the magistrate relied on his
expunged conviction in denying bail
was a misdirection. The
conviction in question occurred in 2010.
44.
The State further
argues that the appellant had lied to the Department of Home Affairs
on his visa application by stating that he
did not have a previous
conviction. It is clear from the record that he did indeed indicate
to Home Affairs that he had no previous
convictions. He has given an
explanation for his conduct, however: he was not aware of the
conviction, because at the time he simply
paid an admission of guilt
fine; he appeared in court and was told that he was free to go, as
the admission of guilt fine had taken
care of the matter. It was only
when Home Affairs rejected his application on the basis of the
conviction that he realized that
payment of the fine did not preclude
a conviction, and thus he applied for it to be expunged. His
explanation was not disputed
by the State.
45.
It is not correct to
argue, as the State does, that the appellant “
does
not timeously renew his permit and that that shows that he would
disregard any bail conditions that might be imposed
”.
It appears from the record that the appellant’s permit was
valid until 13 February 2020. He applied for a new permit
on that
day.
46.
The State argued that
even though the conviction had been expunged, the previous conduct
underlying the conviction was not erased.
In terms of section
60(5)(e) of the CPA a court may consider an applicant’s “past
conduct” in considering whether
to grant bail. But that
subsection specifically deals with past conduct in the context of a
disposition to commit Schedule 1 offences.
47.
Therefore, even if I am
wrong in my conclusion as regards the prohibition on relying on an
expunged conviction, the lower court’s
reliance on the expunged
conviction constituted a further misdirection because of the fact
that it related to a failure by the
appellant to comply with a
condition of his permit under the
Immigration Act. That
is an offence
under that Act and not an offence under Schedule 1 of the CPA.
Therefore, even if the conviction had not been expunged
it was
irrelevant for the purposes of considering whether the appellant was
prone to committing Schedule 1 offences. The magistrate
accepted the
State’s incorrect submission that that previous conviction
related to a charge of fraud, and thus misdirected
himself in this
respect, too.
Fourthly, the
magistrate found that the appellant had committed other offences on
the basis of charges that had been withdrawn
48.
During the bail
proceedings in the lower court the State handed in a page which,
under the heading “Previous convictions”
listed a number
of cases that had been withdrawn. The lower court placed much
reliance on those cases, holding as follows in relation
to them:
“
These offences
the court finds they are prevalent in this jurisdiction similarly the
one for dealing in drugs. Every day this court
is dealing with those
kind of matters and in fact given the fact that there is even though
those were withdrawn against the applicant
the court will have to
take account of the conduct of the applicant where he is told that
when he was released from custody he
would go and commit further
offences.
”
49.
It seems that, on the basis of the charges that
have been withdrawn, the lower court made two findings, namely (1)
that the applicant
had previously committed offences based on the
cases that were withdrawn and (2) that the applicant committed
further offences
after the withdrawal of the charges, namely the
offences which he is currently charged with. The appellant argues
that both of
these findings constitute material misdirections.
50.
The problem is that the State led no evidence to
prove that the appellant had previously committed these offences,
other than the
references to the cases themselves. The fact that the
cases were withdrawn probably indicates that the evidence against the
appellant
at the time was insufficient to establish his guilt. The
appellant would in respect of those cases, in any event, the presumed
to be innocent. No evidence was led by the state to rebut that
presumption.
51.
The lower court obviously also could not, at bail
stage, find that the appellant committed the offence that he is
currently charged
with. The court must presume the appellant to be
innocent.
S v Essack
1965 (2) SA 161
(D) at 162D-E, decided before the advent or our
constitutional era, the court held that the presumption of innocence
operates in
favour of the applicant even where it is said that there
is a strong
prima facie
case against him, but if there are indications that the proper
administration of justice and the safeguarding thereof may be
defeated
or frustrated if he is allowed out on bail, the court would
be fully justified in refusing to allow him bail. (See also
S
v Fourie
1973 (1) SA 100
(D) at 101G-I.)
52.
It needs to be kept in mind that the right to
presume be presumed innocent is in applicable to bail proceedings or
irrelevant there
too. In
S v Van Wyk
2005 (1) SACR 41
(SCA) at 44I it was held that it is not for the bail
court to make a provisional finding of guilt or innocence in respect
of the
applicant, but rather to assess the strength of the State’s
case.
53.
In the present matter, though, the lower court
seemingly presumed the applicant to have committed offences on the
bases of the withdrawn
charges, and used this to deny the appellant
bail. The court’s presumption of the applicant’s guilt in
this context
even in relation to the pending matter where no evidence
has yet been led, amounts to a material misdirection.
54.
In
S v Acheson
1991 (2) SA 805
(Nm) at 177E-F the Court emphasised that an “accused
person cannot be kept in detention pending his trial as a form of
anticipatory
punishment. The presumption of the law is that he is
innocent until his guilt has been established in court. The court
will therefore
ordinarily grant bail to an accused unless this is
likely to prejudice the ends of justice.”
Fifthly, the
magistrate found that the appellant was a flight risk because a
withdrawn case had been re-enrolled and a warrant issued,
which
re-enrolment and warrant the appellant had no knowledge of
55.
In the State’s affidavit presented at the
bail hearing, it was alleged that there was a warrant of arrest for
the appellant
outstanding. No proof of the appellant having knowledge
of the outstanding warrant was provided. The State alleged that the
appellant’s
visa application had been denied because of the
outstanding warrant and therefore that the appellant had knowledge of
the warrant.
The appellant contends that the allegation is misplaced,
because the visa application was denied as a result of the
appellant’s
failure to comply with the condition of his permit
as can be gleaned from the record.
56.
The conviction in that respect has since been
expunged (and referred to earlier) and the appellant had re-applied
for a visa. His
application was still pending at the time of the bail
proceedings. No record of the appellant’s warrant of arrest is
apparent
from the home affairs documents on record, and there is
accordingly no proof that the appellant had knowledge of the warrant.
57.
The matter for which the warrant was issued
related to a matter that had been withdrawn. The appellant had
attended court without
fail until the matter was withdrawn. The
warrant of arrest was subsequently issued in 2007. No proof that the
warrant was put into
circulation has been presented. The appellant
appears to have been lawfully entering and exiting the country ever
since without
the warrant becoming an issue. It appears therefore
that the warrant was not in fact in circulation.
58.
On the record the appellant was not arrested on
the warrant. This appears to be a consequence of the State’s
lack of action,
rather than the consequence of the appellant’s
conduct, who is routinely regularising his status in South Africa and
not
making any attempt to conceal his whereabouts.
59.
The appellant argues that the fact that he should
suffer now as a result of the warrant issued 15 years ago and which
the State
seemingly had no serious intention of pursuing, is unfair.
I agree.
60.
The lower court placed much reliance on the
warrant and found as follows: "
There is a
J 50 warrant that is out for the accused again because being aware of
the J50 warrant he does not deal with that J50
warrant in his
application.
”
61.
However, the only allegation that could possibly
demonstrate the appellant had knowledge of the warrant of arrest was
the State’s
allegation that "
at his
first appearance warrant W/O Mlomiso spoke to the Attorney of the
accused and explained to him that there is a possible warrant
out for
the accused, his client, and it was mentioned by the Attorney that
there is a J50 warrant out for him
".
62.
The appellant’s attorney explained in
argument that the matter had been postponed to determine the status
of the outstanding
warrant and that the appellant had had no
knowledge thereof. Therefore, the lower court’s finding during
the bail proceedings
that the appellant did have such knowledge is
not founded upon evidence. The fact that this finding appears to have
been a material
consideration in denying the appellant bail on the
basis that the warrant pointed to the appellant being a flight risk,
was a misdirection.
63.
The State argues that the fact that the warrant
had been issued by a magistrate indicates to there must have been
prima facie
evidence
in relation to the drug-related case against the appellant at the
time. That may be so, but it does not point to knowledge
of the
warrant on the part of the appellant. Given that the matter had been
withdrawn, I am of the view further that it should
not have been
taken into account as evidence of similar conduct as far as
drug-related offences are concerned.
64.
In all of these
circumstances, I agree with counsel for the appellant that, in the
present matter, there is no proof of a probability
that the appellant
would attempt to flee or interfere with the administration of
justice.
Conditions of
release on bail
65.
In his affidavit
deposed to for the purposes of the bail hearing, the appellant
expressly undertook not to undermine or jeopardize
the proper
functioning of the judicial system, not to intimidate witnesses, not
to interfere with the investigation, not to conceal
or destroy
evidence, and to accept and comply with any bail conditions imposed.
66.
The lower court’s
judgment does not indicate whether any conditions of bail were in
fact considered. In
S
v Branco
2002 (1)
SACR 531
(W) at 537A-B the court held that a
“
court
should always consider suitable conditions as an alternative to the
denial of bail. Conversely, when no consideration is given
to the
application of suitable conditions as an alternative to
incarceration, this may lead to a failure to exercise a proper
discretion. The appellant has stated on oath that he is prepared to
report to the police station. This was not challenged.
”
67.
It appears from the record in this matter
that there is no likelihood (or probability) that the appellant would
conduct himself
as listed under section 60(4) of the CPA. However,
because the lower court was of the view that the appellant was not a
suitable
candidate for bail, it did not consider any conditions of
release as an alternative.
68.
I find myself in agreement with the
submission of counsel for the appellant that in the absence of any
likelihood as contemplated
in section 60(4) considered with the
personal circumstances of the appellant, the interests of justice
permit the appellant to
be released on bail. The evidence available
at the bail hearing did not establish any such likelihood, and the
refusal to grant
bail was premised on the finding of the strength of
the State’s case and the guilt of the accused rather than on
the probability
that the appellant would interfere with the
administration of justice if released on bail.
Order
69.
In the circumstances,
it is ordered as follows:
1.
The appeal is
upheld and the magistrate’s refusal to grant bail is set aside.
2.
The appellant
is granted bail in the amount of R15 000,00, subject to the following
conditions:
(a)
The appellant
must surrender his passport and any other travel documents to the
investigating officer within 24 hours of being released
on bail.
(b)
The appellant
may not apply for any passport or other travel documents.
(c)
The appellant
is to report to the Delft Police Station every day between the hours
of 05:00 and 20:00.
(d)
The appellant
may not depart from the metropolitan area of the City of Cape Town.
(e)
The appellant
may not directly or indirectly have contact or communicate with any
State witnesses or potential State witnesses whose
names appear in
the docket or whose names are communicated to the appellant by the
State.
P. S. VAN ZYL
Acting judge of the
High Court
Appearances:
Counsel
for the appellant:
B.
Prinsloo (instructed by Matthewson Gess Incorporated)
Counsel
for the respondent:
L.
Snyman (Director of Public Prosecutions, Western Cape)
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