Bail application of suspected extortion kingpin postponed amid serious charges
Suspected extortion kingpin, Linda Hlongwa is facing various charges.
Image: Supplied
THE Pinetown Magistrates Court has postponed the bail application in the trial of a suspected extortion kingpin, Linda Hlongwa, 31, who is facing various charges.
Hlongwa, who goes by the aliases Mjinja and sometimes Putin, appeared in court on Monday facing two murder charges related to the killing of a mother and daughter in Nazareth, near Pinetown.
Hlongwa was arrested in Midrand, Gauteng, in April, after being on the run for several months. A warrant of arrest was issued for him in September last year when he skipped bail for an illegal possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. After discovering him hiding on the roof of a gated estate, the video of his arrest went viral for several days.
An all-points bulletin with his images was circulated when he was linked to the murder of a mother and daughter who were shot dead at their home on March 18. The daughter had a child with Hlongwa.
When he appeared in court, magistrate Gwendolyn Robinson said of the five cases she was aware of against Hlongwa, there were two other murder charges that have been added.
Hlongwa now also stands accused of killing two men in St Wendolins, Mariannhill, on March 28.
Robinson reported that both men died from gunshot wounds.
There's also another case of attempted murder against him. The new murder charges for the killing of the men from St Wendolins are the reason that led to Hlongwa not seeking bail. Through his lawyer, Hlongwa has asked for all his cases to be postponed to the same day so that he will be able to apply for bail.
He's also asked for all his cases to be in the same docket.
When he entered the court, Hlongwa had a grim face, and his eyes darted across the courtroom. After the case was adjourned and he was being led down the flight of stairs, he was greeted by a man who was part of a posse that had shown up to support him.
According to press statements that were released by the police when Hlongwa was still a fugitive, he had a string of cases linked to him, including extortion and intimidation against businesses, especially spaza shops, in Mariannhill and surrounding areas.
It's alleged that he was also collecting a protection fee from motorists and minibus owners who operate school shuttles.
His case was postponed to June 10.