The three suspects accused of murdering an e‑hailing driver inside a car in Pretoria West have abandoned their bid for bail and will stay behind bars.
The trio appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murder of e-hailing driver and engineering student Isaac David Satlat on 11 February.
Protest
Satlat was murdered after he picked up two of the three suspects in his e-hailing taxi.
Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the court calling for justice and to support Satlat’s family, who have been left devastated by his murder.
ALSO READ: Two more arrested for horrific murder of e-hailing driver
Charges
Dikeledi Tears Mphela (24), Goit Sione Machidi (25) and McLaren Mushwana (30) are facing charges of premeditated murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The matter was postponed to the 23 of February 2026 for further investigations.
Mphela was arrested on Friday after she handed herself over to the police, while Machidi and Mushwana were arrested on Sunday.
Police say they are looking for a fourth suspect.
[WATCH] Three suspects caught on video during the murder of 22-year-old e-hailing driver Isaac Satlat make their first court appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/qENna5KhYZ
– Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) February 16, 2026
Graphic video
In the graphic video of the incident, a woman sitting in the passenger seat can be seen attacking a man while he sits in the driver’s seat of a moving vehicle.
A man sitting in the back joins the attack while the driver tries to regain control of the steering wheel. The two men appear to start struggling with each other before the man in the back hits the driver on the head with the gun numerous times.
Murder
The driver continues to fight his assailants, but it appears that the man in the back gets hold of his neck and strangles the driver until he is unconscious.
Eventually, the man pulls the driver into the backseat of the car, and another man enters the vehicle, and then three individuals step out.
The hijacked vehicle and Satlat’s body were found in Atteridgeville on the same day.
Murder condemned
On Saturday, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family.
Creecy and Hlengwa warned that criminal behaviour has no place in the public transport sector.
They have called on law enforcement agencies to act swiftly and ensure that those responsible face the full might of the law.
ALSO READ: Creecy and Hlengwa condemn murder of e-hailing driver
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