Hostel killing witness fears he’ll be next

A FORMER Glebelands resident, who witnessed his friend’s murder in 2015, told the Durban High Court yesterday he still feared that he could be next.

The witness, who has relocated to another province, cannot be named.

His friend, Sipho Ndovela, was gunned down at the uMlazi Magistrate’s Court. Ndovela was a witness to a murder at the uMlazi hostel, and was expected to testify at the trial.

Acting Judge F Abraham ruled in favour of the State’s application earlier this week for some State witnesses to testify in-camera, before a closed court, for safety reasons.

Yesterday, the witness told the court, “I was scared that the same thing was going to happen to me.”

He became emotional when shown a picture of his friend lying in a pool of blood. He told the court he had accompanied Ndovela to court.

Mxoleleni Hopeson Bhani, 23, stands accused of murder. The witness had pointed him out in an identity parade.

The State alleges that before the incident, Bhani and his two accomplices, whom he was seen with in court on the day of the incident, conspired to kill Ndovela.

The accomplices were initially arrested, but charges were later withdrawn because of a lack of evidence.

The witness told the court he remembered seeing Bhani and two other men, and claimed Bhani shot Ndovela.

The witness said he saw one person shooting. “I saw what they were wearing, too, and I could identify the shooter because I managed to see his face when he turned to face me. I saw his face,” he said, referring to Bhani.

Defence senior counsel Winston Maqutu questioned why the witness had not given the police the accused’s description in his statement, only mentioning it in evidence in court.

The witness said he was not asked by the police and had answered what he was asked.

The trial continues.