Siboniso Zitha, the man accused of killing celebrity pastry chef Thembekile Letlape in May has abandoned his bail application. Zitha who was arrested days after the murder, made another court appearance at the Randburg Magistrate's Court today.

NPA spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, said Zitha was initially charged with murder only, however, his charges have since been added. "The state has since charged Zitha with two outstanding counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, as well as a charge of malicious property damage," Mjonondwane said the state will further pursue an additional charge of perjury against Zitha for allegedly lying to the court about having pending cases against him, in contravention of Section 60(11)(b) of the Criminal Procedure Act.

It's alleged that Letlape was in an abusive relationship with Zitha. Days before she was murdered, Letlape's family received a message from the deceased that she was assaulted by her boyfriend. Days later, they requested the police to accompany them to his residence as they were worried. "They arranged for a locksmith and when they entered the premises, they found the body of the deceased." Mjonondwane added that the purpose of today's court appearance was to serve Zitha with a provisional charge sheet and to arrange a date for a bail application hearing. But Zitha has since abandoned the bail application. The matter was adjourned to 19 August for further investigation.