The court case against the Seven Angels Ministries Church leader Banele Mancoba and 11 accomplices has been postponed to the 28th of August. They face charges of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Mancoba is also facing a charge of rape, which was also postponed to the same date.
On his arrival, Banele smiled and greeted people sitting in courtroom gallery and quite a number responded to his greeting.
He then waved to his youngest brother Benjamin Mancoba who was standing at the door. The magistrate reprimanded him for that, but he replied and said, ‘I’m greeting my brother’.
The rape charges against Mancoba relate to an alleged marriage to a minor. This case was postponed to the 28th of August for a date in Fort England hospital in Makhanda formerly known as Grahamstown for psychiatric evaluation.
He then appeared for another separate case, along with 11 other accused, facing a charge of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Mancoba has abandoned his bail application. He told the magistrate that he no longer wants legal representation.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali says the investigations against the accused are complete.
“We accept that and that as the NPA we view the case as a serious matter and if he applies for bail in august we will oppose. The investigations are complete we are waiting for the NDPP to give us a date and whether the case will be heard in regional or high court. He has also been allocated a bed in Fort England for mental evaluation in January.”
The only Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry brother remaining on the outside says the process is hurtful.
Twenty three-year-old Benjamin Mancoba is shocked that his brother is sent for mental evaluation.
“It is painful especially the part that he has to be sent for mental evaluation. It is disturbing because I know he is mentally conscious. It’s lonely now because I grew up with these people.”
The other six members of the Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry church will appear in court on Friday for the murder of five policemen and a soldier during a robbery at Ngcobo police station.
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