Another twist in case against double-murder accused Botha's Hill cop
The families of two murdered women are no closer to finding out what happened as the case in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court has hit another snag.
Police officer Blessing Sikhakhane was arrested three weeks ago after the bodies of 18-year-old Enhle Majola and 24-year-old Sthembile Ngobese were found in his home in Botha's Hill, west of Durban.
The 23-year-old constable had been expected to apply for bail on Monday, but instead, he brought an application for the magistrate's recusal.
He told the court it was on the basis that he had learned that one of the victims' father worked at the court and he felt this would cause undue bias against him.
The magistrate agreed to stand down, and the bail hearing was postponed for Thursday with a new magistrate.
In another twist on Thursday morning, the court heard Sikhakhane was now abandoning his bail bid.
READ: Botha's Hill double-murder: Cop suspect accused of delay tactics
His lawyer Manoj Haripersad also told the court he's withdrawing from the case due to a conflict of interest.
When Sikhakhane was asked by the magistrate what his plan for new legal representation was, the accused responded that he would need a month and a half to find a new attorney.
Meanwhile, the State told the court the post-mortem reports and the crime scene photo album have been filed.
But the ballistic report and crime scene map are still outstanding.
The matter was postponed to 14 December.
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