Three appear for cop killing

Published Aug 26, 2014

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Durban - Three men - including two police constables - accused of killing and burying police constable Dennis Ngcobo in a shallow grave on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, appeared in court on Monday.

Constables Qobolwakhe Mqadi, 35, and Mthobisi Ndlovu, 29, along with Ndlovu’s brother, Sizwe, 27, have been remanded in custody until next Monday while Mthobisi seeks legal representation.

Mqadi told Mbumbulu Regional Court magistrate Philip Vezi that he would be conducting his own defence, while Sizwe, who told the court he was unemployed, will be represented by a Legal Aid lawyer.

The three men hid their faces as they walked into the courtroom, where security was tight.

The men have been charged with the murder of Ngcobo, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in Mfume on August 19.

Police detectives used a vehicle tracking signal to find out where the policeman had gone because his family had reported him missing days earlier.

Ngcobo, who was stationed at the Durban Central police station,

was at a party with friends when he went missing.

The Ndlovu brothers’ mother and another woman relative were present in the gallery on Monday and sobbed as they followed the accused out of court before they were taken back to Westville Prison.

One of the women was dressed in mourning attire, and declined to speak to the Daily News.

Magistrate Vezi said Mqadi should use the next seven days to think about his decision to represent himself.

He earlier told the court he had a pending drunk driving charge.

A distraught Nokuthula Ngcobo, who did not attend the court appearance, said the arrest of the men accused of her son’s murder was welcomed.

She said she was waiting for the post-mortem report.

Additional reporting by Zainul Dawood

Daily News

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