Murder trial 3 could face life term

THREE men accused of murdering Morningside accountant Hoosen Dhoda could face life behind bars.

Metro policeman Sandile Patrick Dlamini, 27, and his two co-accused, Sipho Golden Mbele, 32, and Bonokwakhe Magubane, 22, appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Public prosecutor Calvin Govender said the State would ask for maximum sentences if they were convicted.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Mbele stood hunched over in the dock and fidgeted with one arm. When magistrate Mahomed Motala asked him to stop, Mbele, through his lawyer, told the court that he was assaulted by police when he was arrested last week. This was placed on the record.

The matter was adjourned until next week for bail consideration, for Magubane to get a lawyer and for an identity parade to take place.

Dhoda was killed at Royal Travel in Problem Mkhize (Cowey) Road on Monday morning last week.

Accosted

Witnesses said Dhoda, a senior accountant who had worked at the company for more than 20 years, was upstairs when three well-dressed men stormed the premises and accosted two female employees downstairs.

When he heard their screams, he came running. A confrontation ensued and he was shot in the chest. The court heard yesterday that he was shot four times and that the incident was captured on CCTV.

A fourth suspect could soon join Dlamini, Mbele and Magubane. Pursuit Magma Security and Investigations, together with the National Intervention Unit, tracked down the three currently in custody. Shaheen Sulieman, of Magma Security and Investigations, told The Mercury yesterday that Royal Travel enlisted their services last Monday, just after the incident took place.

“We hardly slept,” he said. “We worked tirelessly day and night.”

Their efforts were rewarded when they tracked the men down to Umlazi late last Thursday night.

Sulieman was confident that another suspect would be arrested soon.

Police spokeswoman Nqobile Gwala said at the weekend that the business premises had been ransacked, but it was not clear what had been stolen.

KwaZulu-Natal acting provincial commissioner Major-General Bhekinkosi Langa commended the partnership between police and Magma.

Dhoda’s cousin, Bilal Dhoda, said the family was pleased about the swift arrests.

“Now they just want closure and want them to be brought to justice,” he said.