Cop named as boss of ‘terror gang’

GLEBELANDS HOSTEL: HIGH COURT DATE FOR 8 ACCUSED ‘Common purpose to kill or eliminate’ people who threatened them.

The eight men accused of a raft of violent crimes, including extortion and murder in or linked to Umlazi’s notorious Glebelands Hostel, will now stand trial in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg.

The accused are all in custody pending trial and were served with the indictment in Durban’s Regional Court yesterday morning before magistrate SS Hlophe. They are being charged under common purpose.

The matter has been set down for the high court on September 3.

An important change from the original draft indictment is that police detective Bhekukwazi Louis Mdweshu, once based at Durban’s central police headquarters, has been allegedly identified as the de facto boss of the alleged gang, accused of “managing an enterprise conducted through a pattern of racketeering activities” between the period of August 19, 2014 and March 26, 2016 at the hostel.

Mdweshu is accused of running the enterprise, along with since deceased Bonga Hlophe, who was murdered by the hostel’s alleged rival Mthembu gang in 2015.

The indictment said all the accused “decided and conspired to form a syndicate or association or union with the common purpose to kill or eliminate persons who resided at Glebelands Hostel who threatened their control of the aforesaid hostel and their control of payments made by other dwellers at the hostel”.

The indictment states that from “time to time”, the accused “would summon other residents” and standing armed, demand money with the “threat of reprisal if such payments were not forthcoming”.

“During the period mentioned in the indictment, conflict arose between several blocks within the Glebelands Hostel complex, resulting in attacks being directed at residents in these blocks.

“Accused one to eight, on various occasions acted, either individually or together, to commit the acts,” said the indictment.

The accused are, in order of appearance on the indictment, Mdweshu, Khayelihle Mbuthuma who earlier this year was sentenced to life for murder, Vukani Mcobothi, Eugene Wonderboy Hlophe, Ncomekile Ntshangase, Mbuyiselwa Mkhize, Mondli Mthethwa, who is serving a five year sentence for culpable homicide, and Bongani Mbhele, who has just started a 10-year jail sentence for attempted murder.

The indictment recounts how various victims were “shot in the head”. The state has submitted a witness list of 107 people. – ANA