Suspects in court for torture of family, including two children
An alleged robbery gang who scalded a two-year-old boy, a girl of seven, and four adults with boiling water, is to stand trial in the Pietermaritzburg High Court from Monday.
The gang used this torture method to force the adults to surrender their valuables and money in their home near the Albert Falls dam in March 2012.
The three accused appeared in court briefly on Friday, where the matter was postponed to Monday.
The robbers invaded the victims' home and then put on a kettle to boil water to use on them. The family was entertaining guests at the time of the robbery.
There were eight people from two families present. All the victims were held at gunpoint.The accused are Mvusi Dlamini, 30, and Lucky Mbonambi, 28, both of Durban, and Siyabonga Mchunu, 52, of Albert Falls. They have not yet pleaded.
The three face seven counts of aggravated robbery, and one each of vehicle theft, unlawful possession of a semi-automatic Norinco pistol and ammunition.Judge Nkosinathi Chili would preside over the trial, which was expected to last three weeks.Normally robbery cases are heard in a lower court.
However, it was moved to the high court because of the violence inflicted on the victims.
(File photo: AFP)