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Two appear in court for murder, kidnapping

Johannesburg - Two men accused of kidnapping, theft, robbery and murder appeared in the Port Shepstone Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Jean Pierre Haggard, 24, and Riaan Marais, 27, from Sea Park, north of Port Shepstone, were expected to appear in the same court on Wednesday for their formal bail application, spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said.

They are appearing in connection with several cases - including the disappearance of Pradeep Mahabeer from Marburg in Port Shepstone.

"[Shepstone went] missing from his home on July 2 this year. His white VW Golf was also missing from his home," Naicker said.

At the same time, Port Shepstone detectives were investigating a separate case where two flat screen TVs had been stolen from a house in Umtentweni in late June.

Marais was taken in for questioning in connection with the case, but his alleged link to the Mahabeer case only came to light later, which in turn led police to arrest Haggard. Mahabeer's missing car was found in Gauteng.

"Port Shepstone police linked up with the Thembisa SAPS, who arrested Jean Pierre Haggard in Kempton Park and recovered the allegedly stolen VW Golf on Wednesday, July 29," Naicker said.

He said Marais was arrested on July 31 and both accused were charged with kidnapping and detained until their court appearance.

He went on to say that Marais later led detectives to a site in the bushes close to the Umkomaas River, where skeletal remains were recovered and taken to the Port Shepstone state mortuary.

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