The 29-year-old Onke Hartin Mashinini appeared in the Johannesburg High Court again on 25 June, but the case was postponed once again.
Mashinini is the only suspect in the case of the missing three-year-old Liyaqat ‘Lee’ Mentoor, who was in his care when he went missing on 16 March last year. The charges against him include kidnapping, child neglect, defeating the ends of justice, pre-meditated murder, as well as robbery with aggravating circumstances (unrelated to this case).
Read more here:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/06/12/watch-justiceforlee-gone-but-fondly-remembered/
Initially, the case was postponed because DNA results had not been received. They were expected to be available yesterday, 25 June. However, yesterday the court heard that the accused had acquired new legal counsel, and the postponement was needed for them to familiarise themselves with the particulars of the case.
Estelle Delport, the family representative, said, “The case has been postponed to 28 June to enable the new legal representatives to read through the case details. There are also some questions that some experts need to answer.”
She added that their frustrations were mounting and that they were livid with the outcome. “Is the accused using delaying tactics? What will he gain by delaying the proceedings? We still do not have answers to our most important question: Where is Lee and what happened to him? Will we ever find any closure? It is surreal – how can a child just disappear into thin air?”
Mashinini will remain in custody.
