RUSTENBURG HERALD - MAHIKENG - The two men accused of murdering George (68) and Wilma Koster (65) in a shocking public shooting incident at the Platinum Square Shopping Centre in June this year, have been granted bail by the High Court of South Africa’S North West Division in Mahikeng.
The tragic incident on 14 June 2025 in the shopping centre’s parking area left the Rustenburg community horrified and the Koster family devastated.
In a judgment handed down on 21 October and finalised on 22 October, acting judge B. Mabuza overturned an earlier Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court ruling that had refused bail. The court found that the magistrate “erred in law and fact, over-emphasised speculative risks and disregarded relevant mitigating factors.” The two accused - Onke Mbongo (40) and Gift Tinyiko Mhlanga (29) - are charged with two counts of murder and defeating the ends of justice for allegedly concealing their getaway vehicle after the shooting. Judge Mabuza ruled that there was no evidence the accused planned to flee, interfere with witnesses, or posed a danger to the public. The judge stressed that public outrage alone cannot justify pre-trial detention, reaffirming that every accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Bail was set at R 5 000 each, under the following conditions:
• The accused must report to Rustenburg Police Station every Sunday at 18:00.
• They may not contact or interfere with any state witnesses.
• They must reside at their verified addresses until the trial concludes.
• Any change of address must be reported to the investigating officer, within 24 hours.
• They must attend every court appearance until the criminal trial is finalised. Failure to comply will result in immediate cancellation of bail and re-arrest.
Family speaks out
The Koster couple’s daughter, Jacqueline, spoke to the media on behalf of herself and her brothers, George and Stanley, expressing the family’s heartbreak and fear: “We want to ask the community to stand together and to be cautious. Our case returns to court on 29 January and we ask that people support us. Sit with us in court and help us seek justice for my parents.” Jacqueline and her brothers say they feel as though the most important people in their lives were taken from them. Now, with the accused released on bail, they are even afraid of going shopping in fear that they might cross paths with the men who killed their parents.
