Friend in dock for Haven’s murder
WHILE family and acquaintances of Haven Bhima gathered in Sydenham at the weekend for his 40-day death ceremony, conspicuous by his absence was his close friend, Greg Warren Rajkumar.
That’s because Rajkumar, 23, has been charged with the murder of Bhima, 28.
On Friday, Rajkumar heard that his application to be released on bail was denied.
On July 24, Bhima was found lying on the sixth floor of Sydenham Heights covered in blood.
According to friends and family, he had been battling to breathe and died before he could be taken to hospital.
Several days later, Rajkumar, handed himself over to the police investigating officer who had been looking for him.
Standing in the dock last week, Rajkumar looked straight ahead as he told the court he intended to plead not guilty and gave his version of events.
He claimed that a man called Qiniso, to whom he had been chatting earlier, had killed Bhima.
“I heard the first gun shot, and I ran. While running, I heard two more gunshots. All I could think was, is this true? We ate meals together, why would Qiniso want to kill Haven?”
However, the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Reddy, told the court he believed Rajkumar was the shooter, saying he had witness statements that the “deceased mentioned the accused’s name in a pleading manner”.
“One witness also saw him at the scene, chasing the deceased with a firearm in his hand. A few hours after the shooting, a guard found Qiniso loitering around the scene, looking for something. After he was detained, a resident decided to investigate and found empty gun shells in a broken wall. During investigations, people mentioned seeing both men together.”
Reddy said Rajkumar has a previous conviction.
“He has no pending cases, but in 2014, he was found guilty of damaging property and given a R6 000 fine or face six years in prison.
“In the same month of the shooting, there was a case of assault GBH (grievous bodily harm) against him after he (allegedly) stabbed someone at Sydenham Heights, but the case was withdrawn by the complainant. And in December, he was arrested for murder, but the case was struck off the roll due to insufficient evidence.”
Reddy also handed over a petition to the magistrate by Sydenham Heights residents requesting that Rajkumar not be granted bail.
“I have 124 signatures. He lives within a 2km distance from Sydenham Heights. He is close to the witnesses, people would not be at ease,” said Reddy.