Politically, Molosi was never in my way – Waxa
Knysna Ward 4 councillor and murder accused Velile Waxa had his lawyer read out his affidavit on record during his bail application in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday 24 October, which was postponed to 30 October.
Waxa, charged with premeditated murder, was arrested on 14 August with
Knysna municipal official Mawande Makhala and Cape Town’s Vela Dumile subsequent to the murder in July of Ward 8 ANC councillor Victor Molosi. Makhala and Dumile submitted their statements in previous appearances.
Waxa’s lawyer Daan Dercksen said his client intends to plead not guilty and that his release would be in the best interest of justice. “I accordingly submit that the interest of justice, considerations of prejudice and the balancing of the respective interests favour my release on bail,” the statement reads.
Waxa said in his statement that he fails to understand how he could be charged with Molosi’s murder and that he believes the state’s case against him is weak.
“I deny the allegations in the strongest terms,” he said in his affidavit, adding that nothing could be further from the truth and that “it is not possible for the state to present objective facts to substantiate such allegations, as there is no substance in the allegations”. ‘Why would I have killed him?’
The former ANC member said that after his fallout with the party in 2016, he resigned and entered the municipal elections as an independent.
He contested the notion that he and Molosi were political opponents. “Politically, he was never in my way, why would I have killed him? It makes no sense – he was a Ward 8 councillor and I am Ward 4 councillor. He (Molosi) viewed matters from the ANC’s perceptive and I argued them from that of an independent, but there were never any physical skirmishes.”
Waxa said there is no likelihood that his release would put his life or the lives of the public in danger. “I deny that I shot him or that I was anywhere near the scene of the crime when it took place. I was at home which is metres away from Molosi’s home,” his statement reads.
What he also denied in the affidavit are rumours that he was caught packing his clothes or that he and his wife were arrested at the toll gate before his arrest on 14 August. The court heard that since the murder, Waxa has only left town once for business and that he is not a flight risk. “I have no travelling papers and there is no likelihood that I would be a fugitive in a foreign country,” his affidavit states. ‘Ward 4 stands behind me’
He said he has no previous convictions or pending cases and when listing his grounds for release on bail, he stated that even though his wife is deputy principal at Chris Nissen Primary School, he is the breadwinner of the family and being kept in custody might render his family destitute.
Waxa further acknowledged the public’s interest in the case but said being released on bail would not induce outrage or jeopardise his safety or that of his family. He noted that there had been two marches to his home and that they were stopped by the residents of Ward 4. He also said his ward needs him and that a petition with 941 signatures was signed in support of his release on bail, and that being kept in custody would expose him to further prejudice which doesn’t benefit the court. “Should I be released on bail, I will comply with the bail conditions and it is in the interest of justice to favour my release on bail,” he said.
Dercksen also stated that it is most likely that the matter would be heard in the high court and that it might take months or years to conclude.
On 30 October, during the bail hearing the investigating officer Barnard Wilson produced a stack of documents containing signatures of residents opposing bail for Waxa, Makhala and Dumile. The court was yet to count how many signatures were there, but the thickest was from Ward 4 residents and the rest came from the Knysna Ratepayers’ Association, Knysna Football Club and from the ANC Knysna office which was also accompanied by different