Funny old uncles set to retire from the airwaves
MURDER accused Rajiv Narandas is likely to hear his fate on Friday when judgment is expected to be handed down in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court in Sandton.
Narandas, a Durban businessman and socialite, made his 36th appearance in court this week in a case that has run for six years.
He is alleged to have stabbed Veenand Singh outside Shoukara nightclub in Sandton in 2008. He is out on bail of R5 000.
On Thursday, magistrate Reiner Boshoff heard the heads of argument by the state prosecutor, advocate Adele Barnard, and Narandas’ advocate, Mannie Witz.
In his closing statement, Witz said that, according to witnesses, there were three weapons present on the night of Singh’s murder — a
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become the official opposition in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mchunu said the DA exceeded its target of 12% growth in the province in this year’s election. Much of the DA’s gains were made in previously ANC or MF strongholds, he said.
Thakur-Rajbansi said the election had made her stronger for the 2016 municipal elections.
“The gloves are off and I cane, a sword and a pocketknife.
“One of the witnesses, Gyendra Soorian [who was in Singh’s company], said Narandas’s friend, Jenaide Charles, had a cane. He could not identify who had the sword and Narandas had picked up the pocketknife during the fight.
“It was a proper brawl and the deceased was at the centre of it,” he said. “There is no dispute Charles was the main aggressor — he was in possession of the cane. None of the witnesses saw blood on Rajiv or his clothing.
“In pathologist Professor Gert Saayman’s evidence, he said a wound like that inflicted on the deceased would have resulted in blood everywhere,” said Witz.
Charles, 26, died of a heart attack on March 17. In his evidence, Narandas alleged that Charles started the fight with Singh in the parking lot when Singh and his friends were leaving the club.
“The accused did not get aggressive with the deceased — Charles did. Soorian said Narandas stabbed the deceased with his right hand. However, he is lefthanded,” said Witz.
Barnard argued that Witz was selective in choosing the evidence given by Saayman. She said the murder weapon was identified as a Swiss Army knife and not a “Captain Hook-style” knife — which Witz alleged Charles had carried. Narandas said he had picked up a Swiss Army knife during the fight because he did not want it to be used to harm anybody.
The case was adjourned to Friday for judgment. FANS of the Peru and Bala radio show will soon have to face life without the two old men. The comedy, which has been broadcast on Lotus FM for the past 17 years, is coming to an end.
But listeners will have until December to prepare for the departure of the two characters — as well as bid farewell to The Weekend LiftOff, the show of which they have been a part.
Radio presenters Vikash Mathura and Ray Maharaj, who voice the characters, announced on Wednesday this week that they would begin saying goodbye to their fans through the national Peru and Bala Farewell Tour: It was Nice Like That, in July and August.
Mathura said the pair had decided to retire from radio after “a few years” of consideration.
“I wanted to make the announcement as far back as 2012 — shortly after I had completed my 20th year of broadcasting at the radio station. But I postponed my announcement because there were a few personal goals that I still wanted to achieve, like hosting a national tour, which we eventually did in 2013.
“I’ve had a blessed broadcasting career in both radio and television, dating as far back as 1991. But I’ve always said that a good broadcaster will know when to hang up his headphones.”
Mathura plans to focus on corporate commitments and his family once he has left radio.
Maharaj, who plans to concentrate on business ventures, said: “It’s been a memorable journey . . . It’s time now to concentrate on other matters and to move on.
“We’ve always wanted to end off the show on a high note — being the number one show on the station — ever since we started the show together.”
The pair said they had never seriously considered working on other radio stations, although, said Maharaj, they had considered broadcasting on internet radio a few years ago.
“But it’s hard work putting a show together and even the weekly three-hour show takes about 30 to 40 hours a week to script, research and put together.
“And it comes at a time in our lives when we want to relax and enjoy life and maybe travel the world.”
He said some of his proudest achievements had been the stage show, cartoons, book and two CDs they had released as spin-offs from the show.
Another two CDs and a DVD are in the works for release later this year.
“Unfortunately, when we bid our final farewell to our fans, all Peru and Bala franchises such as the cartoons, concerts and radio features will also come to an end,” said Mathura.
The tour will consist of 17 shows in five provinces, beginning in Durban on July 4 and ending in Johannesburg on November 29.