Holland, who holds both British and Zimbabwean passports, was on Thursday remanded in custody by Principal Magistrate Tshepo Magetse until the finalisation of his matters after he absconded from attending court sessions. In the process, Holland and his parents lost P30,000 after they each bonded themselves with P10,000 to make sure that Holland appeared in court as and when required to do so. "The availability of sureties can only assure the court that in the event the applicant breaks his bond, then the sureties will be required to pay on their bond. However, in criminal cases like this one, the State isn't primarily interested in recovering the money after the horse has left the stable. What is more important is that the accused will be here to be tried in open court and justice can be seen to be done,” said Magetse, quoting from a previous High Court decision by the late Justice Julian Nganunu.
Twenty-five years later, the relevance of this reasoning remains evident. In the instant case, the accused person absconded from court for almost a year, rendering the surety of P20,000 ineffective in ensuring his appearance. As a result, the wheels of justice were halted, leading to significant delays in the trial process, Magetse emphasised. When giving the background of the matter, Magetse stated that prior to being granted bail, Holland had a Domestic Violence Act-related case and ultimately made his first court appearance in the instant on June 5, 2023, for a threat to kill charge but later the charge sheet elevated to the following counts: common assault contrary to Section 246 of the Penal Code wherein it is alleged that he slapped his wife on her face on April 20, 2023; dangerous acts with arms contrary to Section 26 of the Arms and Ammunition Act in which it is alleged that on April 23, 2023, the accused person engaged in dangerous acts with arms by discharging two shots from a 30.06 shotgun in front of his parents and threat to kill contrary to Section 220(1) of the Penal Code wherein it is alleged on April 27, 2023, he threatened to kill his wife by placing a knife on her neck and uttered words to the effect of a threat to kill. Magetse added: In count four, the accused is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm contrary to Section 247 of the Penal Code wherein it is that he slapped and kicked his wife, resulting in bruises and injuries, on April 27, 2023, intimidation in count five wherein he is alleged to have intimidated Monalisa Munguire by threatening to injure her family and unlawful possession of illicit substance contrary to Section 4(15) (b) of the Traffic of Illicit and Psychotropic Substance Act.
