The Malawian man arrested in connection with Shireen Essop’s kidnapping has only been charged with the theft of her cellphone.
Mussa Willese, 28, made his much-anticipated first appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Friday where he was informed he was facing a charge of theft.
He is accused of stealing and selling the Primrose Park mom’s stolen iPhone 13 Pro and was sent to the mang amid outstanding details for his bail application.
Standing in the dock wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt and blue sloffies, Willese stood calmly as he listened to the charge.
He was busted by the Organised Crime Unit last week following a sting operation to find the cellphone that was stolen during her abduction.
Shireen, 34, went missing on 23 May after leaving Dairy Mart in Philippi where she worked.
According to her family, she was taken by men while driving along Varkensvlei Road in Philippi, and then disappeared without a trace; her Toyota Quest was found abandoned.
On 11 June, she was found at the Klipfontein Mission Station by neighbourhood watch patrollers who contacted her family.
On Wednesday night, police revealed that they had arrested a man found in possession of stolen property they believed belonged to Shireen.
Her phone had been traced to Hanover Street in District Six where the buyer helped cops to trap Willese, whom he had allegedly bought the cellphone from.
During court proceedings on Friday, the state prosecutor seemed confused as she fumbled through the docket, initially stating that Willese was found in possession of the cellphone.
She later clarified that he was in fact the seller but made no mention of the kidnapping case.
She further asked for the case to be postponed for bail information, saying the state did not have sufficient information.
Defence lawyer Mongisi Somagca objected to the postponement, saying his client had already provided all the details to the police.
“I object to a postponement. My client was arrested on Wednesday at around 2pm and the state had ample time to obtain this information,” he said.
“I provided the details to the police [Thursday] at 10am. My client does not have any pending cases, previous convictions or any warrants. He has a passport and is an asylum seeker.”
The magistrate postponed the case to 1 July for the verification of his details and he was sent to the mang.