Durban - Two men accused of beheading cricketer Nawaaz Khan were remanded in custody after making a brief court appearance on Thursday.
A vociferous crowd rallied outside the Umzinto Magistrate’s Courtcarrying placards and calling for the men to be denied bail.
Chants of “No bail, rot in jail” rang out, and “they must die in jail” could be heard when a police van arrived with the two at court.
Members of Khan’s family gasped when the men entered the small courtroom and took their place in the dock. People peeped through the windows, hoping for a glimpse of the murder accused, who many know.
Thandowakhe Thando Duma, 21, and Elias Sihle Mchunu, 35, alias “Maak ’n Plan”, were not ready to make a bail application, their Legal Aid attorney, Mbongezi Dimba, told the court.
Neither of the men looked around, but instead stared ahead.
Initially Duma had chosen to conduct his own defence, but on Thursday changed his mind and sought the help of Dimba.
Prosecutor Nondumiso Cele told Magistrate Veliswa Dube that crime scene pictures and DNA results were still outstanding.
The matter also needed further investigations to be concluded.
Dube said the accused had to be remanded in police custody.
The bail application will be heard on December 14.
Mchunu was told to wait in the dock while Duma was led to the holding cells.
Mchunu was charged with a separate case of kidnapping.
He again applied for a Legal Aid attorney.
It is alleged that Duma, a friend of Khan’s, lured Khan from his home in Umzinto’s Gandhinagar area to a secluded place in a forest, where he and Mchunu then hacked him to death before beheading him.
The headless body of Khan, who was reported missing on October 31, was found on November 9 in the local Isonti woods.
Khan’s head was found at a gumtree plantation in Ellingham near the N2, next to Park Rynie.
Cele said a third man had been arrested in connection with the matter, and statements needed to be taken.
He was expected to return to court on December 14.
Deputy mayor of Umdoni municipality, Oscar Zama, arrived and joined the no bail chorus before entering the court.
Afterward, Zama said he was there in solidarity with the community and the Khan family.
“We are satisfied with the outcome. We encourage magistrates and judges not to give bail to suspects accused of such crimes. They must, however, give them the most severe punishment, and that is life sentences, for what they have done,” he said.
Khan’s mother, Zakia Khan, sat pensively in the court, staring at the accused and shaking her head.
Outside court, Khan said she still could not believe what was happening, and the postponement of the case only made her more anxious.
“I am still in shock. Nothing can bring back my son. I want swift justice for his case,” she said.
Umdoni municipality ward councillor Shireen Bhoola said the community would return on the next court date to oppose bail.
Bhoola said the courts got the message loud and clear that they did not want alleged killers in the community.
Daily News
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