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The state and relatives of the nine-year-old girl who died when a car driven by Sekhukhune United player Shaune Mogaila rammed into theirs have raised concerns about continued postponements of the case.
Mogaila was back at the Tembisa magistrate’s court on Tuesday but his case was postponed for a third time, drawing renewed concern from the state and the victims’ representatives.
The matter has seen multiple delays, with the latest postponement linked to issues raised by the defence regarding their preparation of plea submissions.
The Sekhukhune player is facing charges including reckless and negligent driving, fleeing the scene of an accident and culpable homicide.
In court, the defence apologised for yet another setback, explaining technical difficulties had disrupted their preparation.
“This morning I attempted to print the documents we had prepared. Regretfully, your worship, my computer crashed.
“I battled to retrieve the previous edited versions of the submission files. We are asking to prepare our documents again, Your Worship. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience,” the defence told the court.
The deadly crash occurred in the early hours on October 30 2024, and claimed the life of nine-year-old Gomolemo Mavimbela. At the time, her mother Keo was driving her daughter and a neighbour’s 13-year-old son to school.
It is alleged Mogaila’s vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and collided with their car. Police said at the time dagga and alcohol were found in Mogaila’s car.
Keo and the boy were badly injured in the crash. Keo spent a long time in hospital and missed her daughter’s funeral.
State prosecutor Pulane Maditjane expressed frustration over what she described as “repeated and avoidable delays”, saying the state had not yet received the promised submissions.
“I would like to note the delays brought by the defence on the previous matter. The defence told us they would provide us with the submissions, but that has not happened,” she said.
The magistrate intervened firmly, warning the matter could not continue to be delayed and setting a strict deadline for the defence to finalise their work.
“I am giving you only one week, and the reason I’m giving this one week is because you are going to submit the plea and sentence agreement, and the state will consider whether they accept it and see the terms,” the magistrate said.
Keo and her family were in court and spoke through their spokesperson, Barry Bateman of the AfriForum Private Prosecution Unit.
According to Bateman, the repeated postponements were taking an emotional toll on the victim’s family, who continue to wait for justice.
“It’s unfortunate there’s been another postponement. The family finds it very difficult every time the matter is delayed. But we do take comfort that the prosecutor has placed it on record that it is unacceptable that this case continues to be delayed,” he said.
Mogaila is expected to appear in court on May 28.
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