Wandile Mkhize trial under way
It's believed there were 'tender issues' before the ANC councillor was shot dead.
THE high-profile trial of former ANC councillor, Wandile ‘Wonderboy’ Mkhize’s alleged murderers started in the Ramsgate High Court this week.
Dumisane Sikhakhane (35) and Kwanele Cedrick Hlongwa (40), who stand accused of killing Mkhize (34) and his friend, Nhlakanipho Shabane (24) have been in court since Monday this week.
The pair allegedly shot Mkhize and Shabane outside Mkhize’s residence in Manaba on June 30, 2012.
Mkhize was then the ANC chief whip and an executive committee member of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality (HCM). He died on the scene as a result of gunshot wounds to the chest.
Shabane, who was employed as an administrative clerk in the motor licensing department at HCM, died on July 23, after being in a coma for three weeks.
Since the start of the trial, the courtroom has been packed with ANC supporters, family and friends.
Sikhakhane and Hlongwa, both from Gamalakhe, have been charged with murder.
Hlongwa has also been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition as he was found with two live rounds of a 9mm firearm, and no gun licence. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the state’s indictment, there were issues regarding the grant of tenders within HCM, some time prior to the incident.
The substantial facts disclose that ‘certain persons believed that Mkhize was the one who was obstructing them being awarded the tenders’. It continues to state that the accused, and certain other people, conspired and decided to kill Mkhize.
The first witness called to testify was a policeman, who was the first to arrive on the scene on the evening of June 30. He said he found the men lying on the road, with about 20 people on the scene. He said Mkhize was lying facing upwards.
He explained that when he asked an injured Shabane what had happened, he never responded, as he was crying in pain.
The second witness called was a detective, who testified about his involvement in arresting Sikhakhane and Hlongwa.
Under cross-examination, Hlongwa’s attorney, Nicolette Gouws, said her client had informed her that he was thrown on the floor, handcuffed and kicked in the back of the head when he was arrested at his girlfriend’s home in Umlazi. She said he was tortured at the hands of the police.
Attorney Gouws said her client said that he was taken to a room, placed on a chair, handcuffed, and he was then duck-taped from his neck to the top of his head.
“A plastic bag was then placed over his head, and he was beaten by various people,” she said, adding that at no stage was her client advised of his rights, and the reason for his arrest.
The detective stressed that Hlongwa was not forced to give a statement at any stage.
Attorney Gouws pointed out that the names of the other people present during the interview were not written in the warning statement, nor was the document commissioned.
She further found that it was irregular that the interviewer (the detective in question) was also the interpreter.
The detective then admitted that he had ‘made a mistake’.
Hlongwa’s girlfriend testified that when police searched her house, they never found a firearm. She also said she did not see the police assault Hlongwa at her home, when she was questioned about the allegations of assault.
The case was adjourned until Tuesday next week.
