Three suspects who were allegedly involved in the murder of Hillary Gardee, 28, appeared at the Mpumalanga magistrates court on Monday. Hillary Gardee the daughter of Godrich Gardee, the former secretary general of the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) was stabbed and shot in the back of the head after she was kidnapped in Nelspruit on 29 April.
Sipho Lawrence MKhatshwa, 39, Philemon “Philly” Lukhele, 47, and Albert “Khabazela” Gama, 52, appeared in court facing charges of kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, murder, rape, defeating the ends of justice and the possession of unlicensed firearm.
Philemon Lukhele is an employee at the office of the ANC’s Mpumalanga legislature chief whip and he told the court that he and Gardee knew each other for a very long time. Fidel Mlambo, the ANC’s Mpumalanga legislature chief whip said the arrest of one of his staff members in connection with the murder of Hillary Gardee is “highly regrettable”.
“As an office and the ANC, we are totally against and distance ourselves from the act of killing of innocent people. We trust that the law of this country, that there will be a successful investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators and that those who are found to have committed this heinous crime are put behind bars and removed from the streets for the safety of our society,” Mlambo said.
The case was postponed to 9 June and the three suspects are in custody.
Source: News24, Eyewitness News, IOL, Mail&Guardian, image from News24