Autopsy dispels suspicions of ritualistic killing in Durban art gallery owner murder

The six accused charged with murdering Durban art gallery owner Alan Gordon, remain in custody following a further postponement of their formal bail applications to April 26.

Gordon’s charred remains were discovered next to a road in Ndwedwe on March 10 by a passerby.

Photos of Gordon’s body taken after the autopsy and seen by the Courier, reveal his body was badly burnt on only the one side, with an almost perfect line down the middle of the chest separating the charred side from the uncharred side. This apparently due to the way in which he was rolled up in a blanket and set alight.

The autopsy also showed Gordon’s body was intact, dispelling suspicions of the murder being connected to the practice of ukutwala that sometimes involves the harvesting of body parts for muthi to bring wealth.

The postponement of the formal bail application was caused by a change in legal representation for some of the accused and new council requiring time to prepare their arguments.

The six made their third appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday, and presiding officer Lekoa Lekoko granted the postponement.

According to the charge sheet, Nkanyiso Mathenjwa (28) from Umlazi, Mnqobi Hloboyi (19), Sphesihle Vilakazi (21), Nululeko Mpanza (19), Mvelo Hlambisa (19), all from Ndwedwe, and Luleki Gwala (19) from Inanda are each charged with two schedule six offences, including murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances as well as a schedule five theft offence. They are said to have acted in common purpose on the first three counts.

A fourth charge of defeating the ends of justice for burning the deceased’s body was added since their last appearance. According to a criminal justice system insider, this could indicate the State’s intention to argue the accused’s intention to cover up the crime or the nature of how the deceased died.

When charged with a schedule six offence, the onus is on the accused to convince the court of extraordinary circumstances which would warrant bail being granted. On the schedule five charge of theft, the State would need to prove keeping the accused in custody would be in the interest of justice.

According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly murdered Etchings Gallery owner Gordon (57) at or near his home in Brownsdrift Road, Durban North on March 8. He was allegedly strangled, repeatedly struck with a blunt object and then stabbed multiple times with a knife.

On robbery with aggravating circumstances, the charge sheet alleged the accused robbed Gordon of his cell phone and VW T-Roc before dumping his body in Ndwedwe and burning it.
The charge of theft stems from an amount of R120 000 allegedly withdrawn from the deceased’s bank account on the same day.

Owing to the seriousness of the charges, the case has been referred to the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) to be moved to the High Court. That decision is still pending.

A private investigator who cannot be named but worked closely with Greenwood Park police, said Gordon was killed in the early-morning hours of Friday, March 8 and his body was kept in his apartment for about 36 hours before being loaded in his car and disposed of in Ndwedwe.

The accused then returned Gordon’s car to the apartment where it was later discovered by police. The investigator said the events unfolded over a very hot weekend and the apartment and the car had a strong odour of decomposition when he arrived at the scene.

Gordon was first reported missing on March 8 in Komatipoort, Mphumalanga by his brother, Brian, who then enlisted the services of a private investigator who worked closely with Greenwood Park Saps to have all six men in custody five days later.

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