Three suspects allegedly involved in the murder of Hillary Gardee appeared in court

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

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

See Full Bio