Cape Town - PAGAD G-Force leader Moulana Moegsien Barendse’s two sons and their co-accused have been released from jail after spending more than a year in Pollsmoor Prison.
The three men were accused of a triple murder that took place in Southfield in March 2022.
On Friday, the charges against them were withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.
Ebrahiem and Yusuf Barendse, with Ishmaeel Armadien, were arrested on September 8, 2022, six months after scrapyard owner Ricardo de Jager, 46, and his employees Thys Meyer and Adnan Jacobs, were gunned down at the Victoria Lodge informal settlement in Southfield.
William Booth, who represented Armadien, and Junaid Jumat, the Barendse brothers’ lawyer, both welcomed the withdrawal.
“We are delighted at the outcome,” Jumat said.
As soon as the magistrate told the accused they were free, the people in the public gallery chanted “Takbir, Allahu ’akbar!” Moulana Moegsien said: “From the first night that they took them, I asked why the police were taking them, they said it was none of my business. That whole weekend we looked for them and we finally found out they were held in Wynberg.
“The investigating officer told me she knew it wasn’t the boys, but I must tell them who did it, and I told her I didn’t know who killed the three people. We expected them to get bail but it was refused, after a year we had new facts and they were supposed to have their bail application.
“Alhamdulillah we are happy they are out. They both lost their jobs and they must start all over again, and life must go on. One of them was supposed to get married.”
De Jager’s aunt, Lorraine Henry, said even though the State withdrew the charges, she strongly believed the three men were guilty.
“It was disappointing to hear that they were being released because we know they did this.
“We thought that my nephew and the others would get justice in the end.
“We don’t know what the police are going to do next. My sister fell sick after the shooting and now with this, I don’t know what this is going to do to her.”
Outside court more than 20 people waited for Armadien and the brothers and when they came out, tears flowed from their relatives who were elated to see them.
Cape Argus