Fritz Joubert was allegedly out on bail for robbery with aggravating circumstances at time of death - report

Fritz Joubert, the Eastern Cape man who allegedly bludgeoned Anele Hoyana to death and was subsequently killed in a scuffle with police over the weekend, was out on bail on a robbery charge at the time of his death.

According to a report in Dispatch Live, police in Bloemfontein opened a case of robbery with aggravating circumstances and crimen injuria against Joubert earlier this year.

The report states that the trial was set down for the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on January 21, according to Free State National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phaladi Shuping.

It is alleged that Joubert, who would have turned 45 on Thursday, pointed a gun at two police officers outside of a KFC in Bloemfontein before driving off with their car keys. Shuping told the East London-based publication that when Joubert was arrested on April 10, he pleaded not guilty to both charges.

He appeared in court for the first time on May 31 before returning on August 26 and 27.

News24 previously reported that Fritz allegedly killed Hoyana and held his two children hostage on his smallholding and was shot dead during an apparent scuffle with a police officer over the weekend. 

The drama unfolded on the Geluksdal farm in Gonubie on Saturday, where a 45-year-old "farm owner" had allowed his friend, his friend's wife and their two children to live temporarily, said Captain Hazel Mqala.

Mqala said the men had been socialising in the early hours of Saturday morning when an argument ensued and escalated to a physical fight on the deck outside the farm house.

"The farm owner assaulted this 40-year-old male friend with his fists and a rifle butt, resulting in the victim sustaining severe head injuries," she said. Anele will be buried on Saturday on the family farm in Kwelerha, East London.

The NPA wasn't immediately available when contacted by News24 for comment. The story will be updated once the comments are received.