Most Wanted or Free: Charges Withdrawn
The government has dropped the business robbery charges against Cape Town’s “most wanted man,” Yanga ‘Bara’ Nyalara, leading to his release.
The Brown’s Farm resident had spent more than two years in custody.
He was apprehended on 1 July 2022 following twelve murders that occurred in Site B, Khayelitsha, in 2021. Subsequently, police added six more murder charges after a mass shooting in Site C.
In the wake of his arrest, residents from Site C staged protests demanding his release, claiming he had been safeguarding them from criminal activity.
In August, both Nyalara and his co-accused Wanda Tofile were acquitted due to inconsistent testimony from the State’s only surviving witness.
On Tuesday, Nyalara appeared before the Cape Town Regional Court, where the state dropped the charges of business robbery as well as illegal firearm possession and ammunition against him.
Nyalara’s lawyer, Phindile Vepile, stated: “The case was scheduled to appear on 26 November 2024 at the Regional Court in Cape Town. It was set for trial. The prosecutor informed the court that the complainants were no longer cooperating with the State and requested additional time to persuade them to engage.
“The court denied their request for more time since the case could not move forward on 11 November for the same reason. Consequently, the State withdrew the charges.”
His co-accused, Thulani Rhatisa and Julius Ket, received sentences of 11 and seven years respectively for similar offenses.
It is alleged that on 30 June 2016, he robbed an MTN store located in St George’s Mall, Cape Town. He was apprehended just a few hundred meters from the incident.
In his affidavit, Nyalara claimed that the state had no eyewitness linking him to the crime scene, nor was he found with either a firearm or the stolen items.
“The State asserts that I am connected to the scene through touch DNA. I will plead not guilty to these accusations.”
Nyalara had a previous conviction in 2014 for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He currently faces a charge of rape and kidnapping in Khayelitsha, for which he has been granted bail. This case stems from 2017, and he was connected through DNA evidence.