KEY POINTS
- The Durban murder trial suspect requested bank access to care for his children.
- The court dismissed the plea, citing detention and security protocols.
- The Durban murder trial continues as co-accused reveals chilling murder details.
Judge Khosi Hadebe of the Durban High Court denied a murder suspect’s request for more time to settle personal financial matters on Monday.
Judge refuses bank-related request during Durban murder trial
Kwanele Makhaye, 29, requested to appear with the court via his attorney regarding his difficulty to access R11,000 in his account.
He said that his children were suffering while he was being held and that he was unable to withdraw money because his bank card had been lost.
Makhaye continued, “My father passed away last year, and two of my children live with my mother, while the others live with their mother.”
In relation to the lecturer’s murder in Durban, he also claimed that on the day of his arrest, he was beaten by police.
Citing security concerns and stating that the investigating officer was unable to help with his case, Judge Hadebe categorically dismissed his worries.
Hadebe informed him, “We have to adhere to stringent security measures because you are not on bail, and the officer is unable to assist you.”
Alongside Siyabonga Mahaye, 35, Thobani Mhlongo, 23, and Sihle Mkhize, 23, Makhaye is charged with kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and murder.
Regarding the death of engineering lecturer Chanlall “Shan” Dwarika, Mhlongo has previously entered a guilty plea to all of the accusations.
Although she stated she needed more time to complete the decision, Judge Hadebe was scheduled to deliver her judgment on Monday.
All four of the defendants are still being held pending additional court appearances this week after the case was postponed until Wednesday.
Police found the body of Dwarika, 63, on Mafuya Road in Inanda six days after he was abducted on May 28, 2023.
Col. Robert Neshiunda, a police spokesperson, verified the finding and stated that the accused were connected to the Sea Cow Lake property through investigations.
Dwarika lived in Verulam, according to the indictment, but he was remodeling his Sea Cow Lake home with the goal of renting it out.
Co-accused Mahaye, who claimed to have been hurt in the prison showers, complained about his time in prison and walked onto crutches into the courtroom.
In response to Mahaye’s statement to the court that “it’s not nice being in prison,” senior prosecutor Adv. Krishen Shah apologised.
Ayuush Rajbansi, Dwarika’s daughter, was among the family members who attended the court hearing and had already provided testimony about his abduction.
Johannesburg-based Rajbansi claimed that on the day her father vanished in May of last year, there were questionable activities on his FNB account.
She claimed that she called family members to find out where he was and that “three of the transactions were made at a tavern.”
In her statement in court, Rajbansi stated, “I contacted Reaction Unit SA for assistance and posted a flyer on Facebook and WhatsApp.”
Durban murder trial hears details of lecturer’s final moments
Co-accused Mkhize testified in November that Dwarika pleaded for his life. One of the suspects then cut his throat.
The postmortem verified that Dwarika had been partially decapitated and that his throat had been cut during the heinous murder.
According to Timeslive, before being led to the Inanda bushes, Mkhize denied that Dwarika had been beaten or coerced into raising his bank limit.
He remembered going into Dwarika’s SUV, where Dwarika was seated in the rear and his co-accused was behind the wheel.
It was already determined that Mhlongo and Makhaye were the masterminds behind the plan to assassinate Dwarika.
