No way out of mang: Concourt dismisses Josters gang boss’ appeal in drug dealing case
|Published
LOCKED UP: Terrible Josters gang boss Horatio ‘Voudie’. Picture supplied
Convicted gang boss Horatio “Voudie” Solomons has lost an appeal in his drug dealing case at the Constitutional Court.
The Delft dad who was outed as the leader of the notorious Terrible Josters gang during an explosive trial at the Western Cape High Court last year was sentenced to life in the mang after he was found guilty of murder, drug dealing and other charges.
Horatio, who is the nephew of the late Ernie “Lastig” Solomons, has spent the last year in custody at Kokstad Prison after he and five other gang members were sentenced.
The trial, which started in 2019, left the court speechless at times as the state’s star witness dropped bombshell after bombshell against the 12 suspects accused of a killing spree that targeted members of rival gangs in Delft, Belhar and Elsies River.
The witness claimed Voudie was the Western Cape leader of the Terrible Josters, and that some of the other suspects took instructions from him.
Of the 12 men who were charged, six were acquitted.
Judge Owen Rogers sentenced Voudie and his hitman, Ismail Ockerts, to life in prison for the murder of Vernon Botes.
The duo were also sentenced for drug smuggling after they were caught by the Hawks with more than 300 Mandrax pille in Voudie’s Durbanville home, as well as charges under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), with Judge Rogers saying they did not show any remorse.
According to court documents, Voudie and Ockerts applied for leave to appeal the drug dealing conviction at the Supreme Court of Appeal and after being denied, they took their case to the Constitutional Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, says: “They were granted leave on the murder conviction and sentence but denied leave on the drug dealing conviction and sentence.
“They approached the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) for leave to appeal the drug dealing. This was refused.
“Then they approached the SCA president for leave.This was also refused.
“They then approached the Constitutional Court for leave and this was refused.”
Ntabazalila says the NPA welcomes the decision by the Constitutional Court.
“The accused will be compelled to serve at least the sentence on the drug dealing at this stage,” he says.
“They will very likely now proceed with the appeal to the full bench on their murder conviction and sentence.
“We are waiting for them to note the appeal.”