Durban - It was a bittersweet day for the family of a Mount Edgecombe businesswoman, who was kidnapped and killed last year, to watch her husband being escorted into the Durban Magistrate’s Court by police as an accused.
Gonaseelan Naidu has been charged with conspiracy to murder his wife, and was expected to appear again in court later this week for consideration of bail.
He had handed himself over to investigating officer, Warrant Officer Rajan Govender of the Provincial Task Team, at the Durban North police station on Sunday by arrangement. He is to be accommodated at the police station’s holding cells until his next court appearance.
Nalin Naidu, 47, had forgiven her husband once before for trying to kill her. She had testified on his behalf, which led to him receiving correctional supervision and a four-year suspended sentence for her attempted murder in 2006.
Naidu’s cousin, Rajendra Jugdeo, told the Durban Regional Court last month that they had only learnt of this after her death.
He said Naidu was shot four to five times in 2006 while dropping off her youngest son at school. Jugdeo had gone out to the scene and found her lying in a pool of blood.
He had testified during arguments for the sentencing of 41-year-old Zwelakhe Maphumulo, who had pleaded guilty to kidnapping Naidu on October 29, 2014, and for his role in her murder.
Maphumulo was sentenced to 30 years in jail while his accomplice, Gcina Magwaza, 37, was sentenced, also last month, to 22 years for the murder.
Both men had implicated her husband in their respective guilty pleas.
According to Maphumulo’s guilty plea, he was contacted by his friend, a policeman, and told there was a job they needed to do.
He said he met the friend and three others to discuss killing Naidu for her husband, and they were promised payment afterwards.
He claimed in October 2014, the husband gave them R1 000 to buy alcohol and the knife and told them the job needed to be done now.
They had initially planned to kill her in a park, but had apparently told the husband there were too many people and that Magwaza suggested a place in Shongweni.
He claimed the husband told them he would try to get Naidu out of one of the string of pharmacies she co-owned, and drive with her in that direction.
Maphumulo said the husband stopped on the way and waited for their car.
Naidu was supposed to get out of the car and collect an envelope from their car.
He claimed she was reluctant, but her husband had pushed her out the car and that was when the three of them grabbed her.
At Shongweni, her legs were handcuffed. Magwaza allegedly held her legs while the other suspect held her hands. Maphumulo said he slit her throat and threw down the knife, but Magwaza picked it up and continued to cut her throat before throwing the knife into the bushes.
He said he and Magwaza were paid R5 000 each and were promised R40 000, which he had not received.
The provincial task team had arrested Kholekile Sithole, an alleged accomplice, last week and she was granted R5 00 bail on condition that she assist in the arrest of others said to be involved in the kidnapping and murder.
Speaking outside court on Monday, Jugdeo said it was difficult to see Naidu’s husband again. They had last seen him at the time of Naidu’s death.
“We were such a close-knit family who would often socialise together. We just want justice to be served,” he said.
Daily News