Closure for some, heartbreak for many
DATE: December 1-5 HEADLINE: Vimal Rajbansi found guilty of fraud
DATE: January 20-24 HEADLINE: Bail for kidnapping accused
AN OVERPORT woman, Seema Dhaler, 41, was arrested for allegedly kidnapping, assaulting and robbing her ex-lover.
During the court proceedings, it emerged that the ex-boyfriend had allegedly invited Dhaler to a hotel room on Margaret Mncadi Street on December 28. He allegedly struggled to let go of the relationship despite both parties being married.
The State, on behalf of the complainant, said Dhaler arrived with a group of family members and forced her former lover into a car. He was allegedly taken to a location at Mahatma Gandhi (Point) Road where he was stripped naked at gunpoint.
It is further alleged he was assaulted and robbed of an unknown amount of cash before he was released. He opened a case of kidnapping, assault and robbery at Durban Central police station. Dhaler was arrested soon after and was subsequently granted R6 000 bail. UPDATE: In May, the charges were withdrawn by the complainant and the accused’s bail money was returned.
DATE: February 24-28 HEADLINE: Medical body bats for doctor after boy’s death
THE family of Zayyaan Sayed believes justice will be served for them and others if Professor Peter Beale is successfully prosecuted.
Beale, a paediatric surgeon, was charged with murder and fraud after Zayyaan, 10, died.
In October 2019, Zayyaan underwent a routine laparoscopic procedure for acid reflux at the Netcare Park Lane Hospital.
After a nearly four-hour surgery, his lungs collapsed and he died.
Beale, 74, and co-accused Dr Abdulhay Munshi, 76, an anaesthetist (who has since been killed), were accused of negligence and suspended from the hospital after investigations by Netcare and the Health Professions Council of SA.
Zayyaan’s parents opened a charge of culpable homicide against the doctors. In January, the State amended Beale’s charge sheet and changed the charge of culpable homicide to murder and added a second count of fraud.
UPDATE: The trial is expected to start
in February. According to the indictment, the State will aim to prove that Beale failed to adhere to his Hippocratic Oath and was therefore guilty of the charges levelled against him.
DATE: March 17-12 HEADLINE: Life for suspects who set businessman alight and dumped his body in a manhole
AFTER nearly five years, the family of Ladysmith businessman and father of six, Haroon Warasally, received justice.
In March, Philani Thulani Mbhele, 26, of Ladysmith, and Sanele Amos Madide, 24, of Nqutu, were convicted and sentenced in the Newcastle Regional Court to life imprisonment. They received a further 15 years for robbery and 15 years for defeating the ends of justice.
Warasally, 56, the owner of Pelican Security in Ladysmith, was stabbed, doused with petrol, set alight and his remains dumped in a manhole along the N11 on June 2, 2016. His bakkie, firearm and cash were taken.
The accused were arrested on November 17, 2017.
UPDATE: Abbas Warasally, the deceased’s brother, said the family had a sense of closure.
DATE: March 31-April 3 HEADLINE: Verulam man who made his stepdaughter, 10, wear lingerie and then raped her, described by judge as ’dark and immoral’
JUDGE Mohini Moodley sentenced a 46-year-old stepfather to nine life terms in prison for using his stepdaughter as a sex slave and repeatedly raping the 10-year-old child.
Moodley said as the child’s guardian, the stepfather, who could not be named to protect the identity of the minor child, now 14, had betrayed and violated her in the worst way possible.
She sentenced him to nine life terms and a further 173 years’ imprisonment on 33 counts of sexual crimes in the Durban High Court.
The accused took custody of the child in 2014 after her mom died. He began raping her in 2017 until his arrest in June 2018.
Video footage and images of the sexual acts were found on his cellphone.
Sex toys and other paraphernalia were recovered from his home in Riet River.
UPDATE: The investigating officer, Warrant Officer Nivi Lutchminarain, said he received a phone call this month that the child was placed first in her class and scored six distinctions in her final exams. “I’m extremely proud of her achievements and will continue to support her,” he said.
DATE: April 14-18 HEADLINE: Husband told bride she would leave home in a body bag: State
DAYS before Roxanne Thanthoni was killed with a kitchen knife in her home in Tongaat, she was threatened that she would leave in a body bag.
This was according to high court indictments in the matter of accused Denver Mcwayne Marimuthu, 30, who is currently in custody. He is accused of stabbing his bride of three months – before they could attend a Sunday church service on March 1, 2020. He then fled in her Hyundai i10.
Marimuthu was later arrested near his parents’ home in KwaDukuza and charged with murder and theft. He also faces four counts of assault after he allegedly physically accosted Thanthoni’s ex-boyfriend, her parents, and the couple’s landlord in separate incidents.
The matter was moved to the Durban High Court where he is expected to stand trial.
UPDATE: Marimuthu has been in custody for just over a year, following two failed bail applications. He has returned from Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg where he spent eight weeks undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. Marimuthu’s trial was expected to start earlier this month but due to delays by the defence, it was adjourned to May.
DATE: April 14-18 HEADLINE: Accused blames killing on intruder
RAMEEZ Patel, accused of killing his wife Fatima, the mother of his three children, testified in the Limpopo High Court, in Polokwane.
Fatima, 28, was shot in the face in their rented Nirvana, Polokwane, flat, in April 2015. Her skull and cheekbones were shattered. She was also strangled and her jaw had dislocated. Patel, a cage fighter-cum-businessman, pleaded not guilty. He said an intruder killed his wife. UPDATE: The murder trial was adjourned to January 4 for the defence to wrap up its case.
DATE: April 21-25 HEADLINE: Accused to undergo psychiatric evaluation
SIPHIWE Mthembu, 21, the man accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 22-year-old Tongaat woman Komell Pillay, is undergoing a psychiatric assessment before he stands trial in the Durban High Court.
This is to determine if he was of sound mind at the time of the incident.
He was arrested after Pillay’s half-naked body was found in an abandoned building a few roads away from her home on July 7, 2019. It is alleged she was kidnapped from a local tavern and taken to a derelict site on Watson Highway where she was raped and then strangled.
UPDATE: The matter is back in court in January.
DATE: May 12-16 HEADLINE: PMB businessman Rajivee Soni in ConCourt bid to have murder sentence overturned
PIETERMARITZBURG businessman Rajivee Soni appealed against his conviction in the Constitutional Court. Soni, was convicted for the 2013 murder of his former friend, Dr Bhavish Sewram.
In 2013, Soni, 45, ordered a hit on Sewram, a father of two, for allegedly having an affair with his wife. He enlisted the help of a former policeman, Brian Treasurer, who hired Mfaniseni Nxumalo and Sabelo Dlamini to execute the killing. In May that year, Sewram, 33, was gunned down outside his surgery in Raisethorpe, Pietermaritzburg.
Dlamini pleaded guilty to the murder and is serving 25 years in prison, while Nxumalo is serving a life sentence. Treasurer, who also got a life sentence, died in prison.
In 2018, Soni was convicted of murder, defeating the course of justice, assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment.
Appealing the matter at the SCA, the court upheld the murder conviction but reduced Soni’s sentence to 23 years and seven months. He was acquitted of defeating the course of justice and assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The conspiracy charge was set aside and, in the alternative, he was found guilty of incitement to murder and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. UPDATE: In November, the Constitutional Court ruled that the application be dismissed as it bears no reasonable prospect of success. Soni is currently serving his sentence in prison.
DATE: May 12-18 HEADLINE: Justice is served for Miguel
MOHAMED Vahed Ebrahim, 46, was handed a 34-year sentence for the kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Miguel Louw.
He was sentenced to a further eight years for kidnapping and 18 months for theft – both of which will run concurrently with the murder sentence.
The court found that Ebrahim, who maintained his innocence from the onset, kidnapped Miguel after his mother, Raylene Louw, rejected several of his romantic advances.
He also stole Raylene’s ID, as well as Miguel and his sister’s birth certificates.
Miguel, a Grade 4 pupil at Rippon Road Primary in Sydenham, was last seen alive while in the company of Ebrahim in July 2018. His decomposing body was found two months later in a shallow grave in Longberry Drive, Phoenix, near the accused’s home.
UPDATE: Miguel’s aunt, Tasneem Dos Santos, said: “Christmas was a time of celebration and joy for the family and kids but without our baby Miguel, it has never been the same. My sister and niece (Miguel’s mom and sister) don’t look forward to this time of the year as all the memories come flooding back.
“We are glad justice was served but to think of another Christmas without him is heartbreaking. We still buy him a gift every Christmas and give it to an underprivileged child, so he knows that we will never forget him.”
DATE: June 2-6 HEADLINE: Newlyweds allege Durban couple scammed them out of R60K with promise of MSC cruise.
A DURBAN couple were arrested and charged for allegedly operating a travel scam.
Megasen Roland Chetty, 38, and Sarasvathi Belinda Pillay, 47, were granted R5 000 bail shortly after their arrest. They were charged with 14 counts of fraud, alleged to have been committed from February 2018 until October 2019.
The couple are said to have robbed people of a collective R900 000. Two of the victims were newlyweds from Chatsworth, who came forward alleging that their dream holiday never materialised. UPDATE: The investigating officer confirmed that the counts of fraud increased to 18 and the couple had since pleaded guilty to all the charges. They are expected to be sentenced in January.
DATE: June 9-13 HEADLINE: Gandhi relative jailed in R6.2m fraud case
ASHISH Lata Ramgobin, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-granddaughter, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment after swindling a local businessman out of R6.2 million.
In 2015, the Hawks arrested Ramgobin for fraud and a second charge of forgery and uttering. In November last year, she was found guilty on all charges.
In August 2015, she met businessman Shailendra Maharaj, the director of New Africa Alliance Footwear Distributors. It emerged in court that Ramgobind told Maharaj she had won a R20m contract to supply the Netcare group with bedsheets and pillows.
She had imported three containers of linen from India for the contract.
Ramgobin claimed she experienced financial difficulties paying the import costs and needed money to clear the goods at the harbour. In return for the loan, Ramgobin apparently promised to pay back the total amount and give him a share of the profits, amounting to R1.5m.
Later that month, Ramgobin sent Maharaj what seemed to be a Netcare invoice and delivery note as proof that the goods were delivered and payment was imminent.
However, Maharaj later discovered the contract was bogus. He found out Ramgobin did not have a purchase order with Netcare, nor did Netcare owe her money.
Ramgobin was subsequently arrested and stood trial.
UPDATE: One of Maharaj’s business partners, who was affected by the fraudulent dealings, said he was relieved the case was finalised and that he could get on with his life.
DATE: June 9-13 HEADLINE: Gardener who used ’his position of trust’ to kill a Durban pensioner jailed for life
A GARDENER who used his position of trust to attack and kill 79-year-old Newlands West pensioner, Shirley James,
in her home, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Mzwakhe France Mbulawa, 45, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
In passing sentence in the Durban High Court, Acting Judge Faith Mlaba said Mbulawa took advantage of a pensioner who lived alone and planned her murder.
It emerged during the trial that Mbulawa entered the victim’s home on the day of the killing, grabbed her and tied her up.
He then repeatedly hit the back of her head on the ground, while he strangled her. Mbulawa stole her jewellery, electronic devices and bank cards. During judgment, Judge Mlaba rejected Mbulawa’s version that two unknown armed men were behind the robbery and killing.
UPDATE: Natasha Kalyan, James’s niece, said it was difficult for her to move on but she was taking it one day at a time.
DATE: June 15-20 HEADLINE: Wealthy Sharma ’forgot about the poor’
IQBAL Sharma along with other government officials was charged with defrauding the Free State Department of Agriculture of R25 million.
Sharma once led protests against the Durban City Council in Chatsworth.
The Gupta family associate and the nephew of the late anti-apartheid activist, Fatima Meer, led a lavish lifestyle with his wife, actress Tarina Patel.
Orlean Naidoo, a Durban activist, who protested alongside Sharma during the riots in the 1990s, said she was disappointed that since acquiring wealth, he had apparently forgotten about the poor he once fought for.
Sharma was initially denied bail but then granted R500 000 bail in July. UPDATE: Earlier this month, the case was transferred to the Bloemfontein High Court. The matter was then adjourned to February to resolve pretrial matters.
DATE: June 23-27 HEADLINE: Cocktail killer accused freed
MEGAN Doorasamy, 31, a former truck driver who was accused of killing his wife by giving her a poisonous cocktail of anti-freeze and cranberry juice, was acquitted of all charges in the Durban High Court.
This followed a Section 174 application by his defence counsel.
Doorasamy’s defence counsel, advocate Gugu Gumede, argued that the State’s case was weak and that it lacked prima facie evidence.
Judge Rashid Vahed subsequently ruled in favour of the application and discharged Doorasamy of murder, defeating the course of justice and theft.
Doorasamy was an awaiting-trial prisoner at Westville Prison for two years. He was arrested in July 2019 after Devashnee Naidoo, a 30-year-old former teaching aid at Clarence Primary School, was found dead in their one-bedroomed Morningside flat.
UPDATE: Doorasamy now lives with his mother in a flat in Durban and is moving on with his life.
DATE: July 7-11 HEADLINE: Son arrested for mother’s killing.
ORMILLA Samdath, 62, was beaten and stabbed to death in her home in July this year. Her 38-year-old son, Shalendra Samdath, was charged with her killing.
Samdath, who is divorced with two children, allegedly stabbed her, then fled in her red Toyota Corolla with her bank cards.
After a case of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances was opened at Verulam SAPS, police tracked Samdath to Umbilo. He was arrested and appeared before magistrate Rajesh Parshotam in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court.
UPDATE: He was denied bail and is in custody pending his next court appearance. Manoj Ramkussia, the victim’s brother, said it was difficult to move forward without her.
DATE: July 28-August 1 HEADLINE: We are strong and focused
GLEN Naidoo, the owner of KZN VIP, a private security company, said he received several death threats from people who blamed him for inciting racial violence in Phoenix during the July unrest.
He said this was untrue and that his focus had been on protecting the community within the ambit of the law.
Naidoo said a narrative had been created to stoke racial division and shift the focus from the key issue. He was arrested by a police task team along with another KZN VIP employee. He said they were released within a few hours. UPDATE: KZN VIP’s firearms that were seized by police after the unrest have been returned after a ruling by Durban High Court. Naidoo has since resigned from the family business.
DATE: August 4-8 HEADLINE: We can reconcile communities
JACKIE Shandu was arrested following his “one Indian, one bullet” taunt at the stairs of the Durban City Hall in July.
He faced a probe by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). Shandu, 37, who is a former deputy chairperson of the EFF, is the face of the #JusticeForPhoenixMassacreVictims movement.
Following his utterances, he apologised. He was arrested and faced two counts of incitement to commit public violence. This was in terms of the Contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act 17 of 1956. Shandu was released on R2 000 bail. In addition to the criminal charges, advocate Lloyd Lots, provincial
manager of the SAHRC, said the commission was looking into the matter. UPDATE: Shandu is expected to appear
again in court next year.
DATE: August 25-29 HEADLINE: Cop suspended for incitement
A METRO police inspector was suspended for alleged misconduct after his social media post, following July’s unrest, was deemed defamatory with connotations of incitement.
On July 28, Persilen Naidoo shared a post on the history of violence experienced by Indian South Africans. It made reference to the Durban Riots of 1949 and the Inanda Riots of 1985. The post then mentioned the recent unrest and questioned why Indians were the only ones targeted when they fought back.
The post was shared with the words: “Sometimes we need to think and understand why ppl do what they do.” (sic)
It is alleged that a colleague took a screenshot of the post and shared it on the metro police’s WhatsApp group, demanding that action be taken against Naidoo. On July 30, Naidoo was issued with a precautionary suspension. He made written submissions through his attorney Kurshivan Rama Munsamy, of Purdon & Munsamy Attorneys. Metro police management decided that the intention to suspend will stand. UPDATE: Naidoo is to date still suspended with full pay. He said, via his attorney, that in his 22 years of service, this was the first time he had faced disciplinary action and it was never his intention to offend anyone.
DATE: September 8-12 HEADLINE: Tuckshop owner accused of raping girl, 5
A 34-YEAR-OLD Verulam man is in police custody after he allegedly raped a 5-year-old child in a toilet and gave her R10.
It is alleged that on the afternoon of August 11, the child, who lives in an informal settlement, went to the toilet, which is situated outside her home in Oaklands. The man, who has a tuckshop nearby, allegedly entered the toilet, raped her and gave her R10. The child told her friend, who in turn informed the girl’s mother.
The mother, 37, who works at a fruit and vegetable stall, called the police and her daughter was taken to the hospital. The mother said her daughter was on ARV medication and antibiotics to prevent infection.
UPDATE: The accused appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court and was denied bail. He is currently in custody at Westville Prison. The case was adjourned to next year.
DATE: September 8-12 HEADLINE: Haffejee’s ex-girlfriend sold him out
A FORMER girlfriend of Dr Hoosen Haffejee admitted during the reopened inquest into his killing, that she had sold him out.
Matheevathinee Benjamin said she informed the Security Branch (SB) about Haffejee’s anti-apartheid activism because she wanted him to suffer for not taking their relationship seriously.
Haffejee, a 26-year-old dentist, died in police detention in August 1977, about 20 hours after he was arrested.
Testifying in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, Benjamin said she was an informant for the SB and became known as a snitch. Benjamin said that at one point, while looking in his room, she found secret literature on how to make bombs.
In her affidavit, she said that when Haffejee was arrested, she felt bad and ashamed because he was her friend and she was worried about his safety and well-being.
UPDATE: Several witnesses have since testified. The matter has been adjourned for closing arguments to be heard.
DATE: September 22-26 HEADLINE: I thought I was going to die
A BANANA and a bottle of water was all a businessman was given by kidnappers who held him for three days.
The 31-year-old man arrived in South Africa nine years ago from the Indian state of Gujarat. He opened a cellphone repair shop in the Durban CBD.
In September, the man, who asked not to be identified, closed his shop and was going to his car when four men surrounded him in the parking lot and forced him into a grey Mazda. He said his hands and feet were bound with shoelaces, and his head was covered with a blanket.
The businessman said he was taken on a joyride and then to a house in the south of Durban. In the room, he was ordered to sleep on the concrete floor while two of the kidnap suspects used the bed.
His brother Abdul (his real name is being withheld) was contacted for ransom. Abdul was asked to do the exchange for R350 000 at the Mobeni Heights shopping centre. During the exchange, two suspects Kenneth Masedza, 40, of Savannah Park, and Sanele Archie Gumede, 34, of uMlazi, were arrested and charged with kidnapping and extortion.
UPDATE: According to the investigating officer, the accused appeared in court recently and abandoned bail. The matter was adjourned to February.
DATE: September 22-26 HEADLINE: Suspended Toyota employee apologises
A TOYOTA SA Motors employee was suspended following threats and insults that he allegedly made on social media.
Khehla Leonard Mngwengwe made the comments on a live feed hosted by comedian Karou Charou on September10.
During a discussion on the violence that took place in Phoenix in July this year, Mngwengwe posted: “Wait until the army disappears and we will never forget nor forgive. We will make sure we triple by hundreds of what you did to enocent black people. You must know that you kulis will never rest (sic).”
Several people criticised the post, with some writing to Toyota South Africa where Mngwengwe works as a production team member. Mngwengwe told the POST that he was sorry.
Narendh Ganesh, a community activist, meanwhile referred the social media utterances to the Equality Court in Durban. Ganesh filed a formal complaint, citing hate speech, incitement to violence and discrimination. UPDATE: Ganesh said Mngwengwe had yet to respond to the papers filed but understands that he had been dismissed from Toyota. Toyota is yet to confirm this.
DATE: September 29-October 3 HEADLINE: Dad in quest for justice
REGAN Naidoo, a 32-year-old from Monford, Chatsworth, died in August 2018 while in police custody. The Independent Police Investigative Directive (Ipid) probed Naidoo’s death.
In September, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions gave instructions for a number of policemen to be arrested. Eighteen officers were arrested on a variety of charges including kidnapping, torture and murder.
Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said police “picked up” Naidoo on August 28, 2018, from a Caltex petrol station on Montford Drive. Two men with him, Ahmed Dawood and Fardeen Carrim, were also taken in. The men were allegedly questioned regarding a firearm and were allegedly assaulted. They were then taken to Chatsworth SAPS for further questioning. The deceased collapsed at the station and was taken to RK Hospital where he was declared dead.
In September, the first set of accused, all from the Chatsworth Trio Crimes Unit, were arrested. The next week, nine others, from various police units, were arrested.
They were each granted R3 000 bail. UPDATE: According to Langa, three others were arrested and charged and were also granted R3 000 bail. The matter is back in court this month.
Timothy Naidoo, Naidoo’s father, said he was pleased with the arrests and would follow the case to the end. Naidoo said he called Ipid almost every day to find out what progress was being made.
DATE: November 10-14 HEADLINE: We won’t let this rest, says family
KYLAN Pillay, 21, of Bonella, was stabbed to death allegedly by a security guard in Morningside while attending a friend’s birthday party.
It is alleged that there was an argument with a security guard and his group of friends when Pillay and his two friends were stabbed. They were taken to King George VIII Hospital. His friends survived, but Pillay died of his injuries. UPDATE: According to the investigating officer, post-mortem results and witness statements were still outstanding and no arrests have been made. Pillay’s aunt, Natasha Ramlagan, said they were still trying to understand what happened.
DATE: November 10-14 HEADLINE: Copesville granddad killing: no closure
THE men accused of killing Copesville grandfather Mark Naidoo were found not guilty.
Naidoo, a security adviser at Hulamin, was shot while leaving his home in Indus Road on the morning of August 30, 2019. He was on his way to leave his 3-year-old granddaughter at the crèche. In order to save her, Naidoo pushed her into the footwell of the front passenger seat and served as her shield. He died at the scene.
Sanele Cele, 39, of Durban North, and Jabulani Jerome Ndlela, 42, of Inanda, were subsequently arrested last year and charged with murder and attempted murder. Both accused pleaded not guilty to the crimes.
Anand Maharaj, acting high court judge, found discrepancies in the witness statements, how the identification parade was conducted, and the cellphone and tracking evidence. With all the evidence considered, Maharaj ruled that the State had failed to present a prima facie case and acquitted the accused.
UPDATE: Loretta Naidoo, Mark Naidoo’s wife, said she was trying to put the case behind her and move forward with her life as best as she could.
DATE: November 24-28 HEADLINE: Christmas in jail, but families feel sentence too light
SHALAN Sewshanker, the Tongaat businessman who caused the deaths of three carpool companions in 2011, will serve 30 months in jail.
Magistrate Prithi Bhoda Khedun sentenced Sewshanker to 72 months – 30 in jail and the other 42 months wholly suspended for five years.
All three counts of culpable homicide were taken as one for the purposes of sentencing in the Durban Regional Court in November. For the charge of reckless or negligent driving, Sewshanker was given a R10 000 fine or 12 months’ imprisonment. His driving licence was also cancelled and he is not permitted to obtain a new one for the next three years.
Eureka Govender, 30, Marlon Pillay, 32, and Duveshnee Naicker, 24, died on June 15, 2011, when Sewshanker drove his BMW 320i through a red traffic light on the R102 near Ottawa.
His vehicle collided with their VW Polo. Govender and Pillay died at the scene and Naicker a short while later in hospital.
Sewshanker, a third-year BCom student at the time, was subsequently charged with three counts of culpable homicide, one count of driving under the influence of alcohol, and a count of reckless or negligent driving.
However, in October last year, he was found guilty on all counts except for driving under the influence of alcohol. The court found the State had failed to prove this charge beyond reasonable doubt.
UPDATE: The victims’ families said it was hard to move on after years of sitting in court and for the accused to get off with such a light sentence.
THE son of the late politician, Amichand Rajbansi, was found guilty of R3 million fraud at the Durban Regional Court.
Vimal Rajbansi, along with North West businessman Gideon Pretorius, was charged with fraud relating to a 2010 business deal involving the sale of office equipment.
Their co-accused Younus Patel, a Durban North businessman, died earlier this year.
According to the State, Brainwave Projects represented by Rajbansi secured finance for their client Ditona Construction in November 2010 with Merchant West, a company that provides asset finance.
Pretorius served as the director of Ditona, while Rajbansi was an agent for Brainwave Projects.
According to the State, the men financed office equipment for Ditona from Merchant West on a rental/lease agreement.
Merchant West financed the deal for Ditona and maintained ownership of the equipment.
Two months later, Merchant West learnt Ditona was being liquidated and attempted to recover the equipment before it was taken by the liquidators.
It was then discovered that the equipment had already been secured by another company, Rentworks, in terms of a similar agreement.
Magistrate Judy Naidoo accepted the evidence of State witnesses and found that it was not materially disputed or challenged.
In evaluating the evidence of the accused, found both witnesses evasive and inconsistent, and said that they repeatedly tailored their evidence to suit their versions.
UPDATE: The case was adjourned to February for pre-sentencing reports. Chris Shipley, the then chief executive of Merchant West KZN, and Paul Buckle, the chief executive of Merchant West, said the judgment was bitter-sweet and they awaited sentencing.
MAGISTRATE John Maloba of the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court ruled that Naeem Deedat could be held responsible for the death of his wife and their four children.
On July 12, 2011, a fire broke out at the Deedat household in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg. Deedat’s wife, Suraya, 31; and their children, Fatima Zahra, 3; Mohammed Uzair, 4; Laaiqa, 2; and Mohamed Zubair, 6 months; died.
Deedat was the sole survivor. He allegedly escaped the fire through the window of the master bedroom’s en suite. It is alleged that the fire started in the children’s bedroom and that Deedat was in the bathroom at the time.
Suraya and the children were found on their backs in the living room.
In November 2017, a police inquest docket was opened to investigate allegations that Deedat was responsible for their deaths.
The magistrate ruled that the State’s evidence was inconclusive and was unable to find anyone responsible for the fire.
Suraya’s family were not happy with this decision and contacted the civil rights organisation AfriForum in 2019 which pushed for an inquest. UPDATE: Rehana Ismail, Suraya’s sister, said Maloba’s decision gave them hope that justice would be served. She said she was waiting for the NPA to make a decision on whether to prosecute. The decision is expected early next year.
DATE: December 14-19 HEADLINE: Jamiatul Ulama employee suspended for body comments
ZARIAH Fareed, a 26-year-old Overport mother of two, has spoken out against an employee of the Jamiatul Ulama KZN who allegedly made inappropriate comments about her body shortly after she had given birth.
The man, who has since been suspended by the Jamiat, had been assisting Fareed with finding a home, purchasing furniture and collecting grocery vouchers, when he began sending her WhatsApp messages that made her feel uncomfortable.
The messages included comments about her breasts and a request for him to visit her late at night.
She told the POST she was shocked and did not know how to respond.
The Islamic Watchdog Movement, which Fareed met at the Jamiat’s offices, agreed to assist her. She said the Jamiat had delivered a letter to her requesting she submit a written affidavit on her complaint. She has yet to submit this.
The Jamiatul Ulama KZN issued a statement, stating that it had placed the employee on precautionary suspension until its investigation was finalised. UPDATE: Fareed has not yet submitted her written affidavit to the Jamiat regarding her complaint. The internal investigation continues.