Pretoria – A State Prosecutor who pulled out a gun and opened fire in a court building after getting into an argument with his supervisor has had the case against him postponed.
The Taung Magistrate’s Court has postponed the case against prosecutor Lebogang George Mashigo, 51, to June for further investigations.
Mashigo was granted R1 000 bail, and the court ordered him not to interfere with investigations, as well as State witnesses.
“He is charged with negligent discharging of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition,” spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the North West, Henry Mamothame said.
“His court appearance emanates from an incident that took place in the afternoon of 8 September, 2022, whereat the accused entered the Magistrate’s Court building in Taung and proceeded to fetch a bag.
“Upon departure, at the entrance of the court building, he fired shots and subsequently left. It is alleged that he argued earlier in the day with his supervisor where he is employed as a district court prosecutor but the motive for his shooting is still under investigation,” Mamothame said.
He said police investigations have revealed that Mashigo has no licence or permit to possess the firearm, as its licence expired in 2019.
“Meanwhile, the NPA has served Mashigo with a notice of a precautionary suspension, pending the completion of internal disciplinary proceedings,” Mamothame said.
The director of public prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari has expressed “disappointment with the behaviour of the prosecutor”, saying he is a person bestowed with the responsibility to uphold and defend the law.
She has assigned a senior State prosecutor to oversee the case, “owing to its serious nature”.
IOL