Durban — The State was ready to forge ahead with the matter against three men charged in relation to a brazen attack on an accused who had formerly been suspected to have been linked to a mass shooting.
It had gone through representations made by the men’s counsel on the last occasion around concerns that counsel had previously raised verbally in court, namely that the men’s alibis that were unverified by the State, outstanding DNA and ballistics.
Siphamandla Hadebe, 24, was allegedly gunned down in broad daylight in full view of about 18 people in Wyebank just five days after being released on R8 000 bail last year.
Hadebe and his co-accused Njabulo Mchunu, 31, and Comfort Ngubo, 22, were granted bail on August 16 charged with possession of a firearm without a licence as well as ammunition.
The three were said to have been linked to the mass shooting in Savannah Park.
Hadebe was allegedly shot and killed by men who arrived at a house in Wyebank in a white Ford double-cab with a police registration plate, suspected to be fake.
Another person was injured when the men opened fire.
Siyabonga Shozi, 36, Nkosinathi Gumede, 38, and Nkosingiphile Nzimande, 29, appeared in the regional court of the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday before Magistrate B Asmal accused of Hadebe’s murder and the attempted murder of Ntandazo Gumede.
Prosecutor T Govender said all the queries that the defence had raised had been rectified in the docket.
Shozi and Gumede are out on R20 000 bail while Nzimande is out on R10 000 bail.
The State then handed over to the defence a new batch of documents in relation to the case.
The matter was adjourned to July 28 for the men’s counsel to go through the documents and decide whether they wanted to escalate the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions or submit a formal request for further particulars ahead of trial.
Charges against Hadebe, Mchunu and Ngubo – who had not been charged with murders but with possession of firearms and ammunition – were this year provisionally withdrawn.
Ngubo was arrested outside the courtroom and charged with five murders soon after the charges were withdrawn.
He is alleged to have shot and killed Sibonelo Shezi, Siboniso Vilakazi, Sipho Zikho, Siphumelele Makaza, and Sibonelo Mthethwa in Clermont in May last year.
He is expected back in court next Friday and remains behind bars after being refused bail.
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