Pietermaritzburg - A security guard described on Wednesday how he found three young men hiding under beds and behind a wardrobe in the Greytown house of the man they had allegedly robbed and stabbed minutes earlier.
Mbongeni Nxumalo, a Fields Security reaction officer, was testifying at the trial of Sifiso Phungula, 19, Lungisani Zungu, 18, and Lindokuhle Mbhesi, 20, in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The trio are charged with the murder and aggravated robbery of 66-year-old Cornelius ‘Joe’ Herholdt.
He was stabbed at his home in McCullum Street on February 18 by a gang of knife-wielding men.
Three suspects were found hiding in Herholdt’s house within an hour of the murder by security guards who res-ponded to a call out.
Herholdt was at home with the family’s domestic worker when the gang apparently stormed in and demanded his safe keys.
The elderly man, who had been a Greytown resident all his life and was self-employed in the construction and garden services industries, was stabbed several times in the neck and chest and died on his passage floor.
A neighbour, who heard noises coming from Herholdt’s home, contacted the security patrol and police, who responded immediately.
Testifying on Wednesday, Nxumalo said that he and two colleagues were alerted to an incident at Herholdt’s home at around 10.30am.
“We entered the house through the kitchen door and discovered Herholdt’s body lying in the passage outside one of the bedrooms. He was tied up with rope. We were taken by surprise when we saw the domestic worker approaching us and asking for help,” Nxumalo said.
He escorted the domestic worker outside to his vehicle and returned to the house, when his colleague, Sibusiso Nzama, told him that he had seen one of the assailants running into a bedroom.
“It was dark in the room, so I switched the light on and saw a foot protruding from under the bed and realised one of the assailants was hiding.”
The security guard and his colleagues then pulled out the intruder, who he identified as Zungu.
“We asked him what had happened. He told us that there had been a mistake and Herholdt had been stabbed,” Nxumalo said.
Herholdt’s cellphone was allegedly found in Zungu’s pocket. Zungu then gave up the hiding places of his co-accused and in the next bedroom they found Phungula cowering behind a wardrobe and Mbhesi under the bed, the court heard.
Nxumalo said by that time police had arrived and they arrested the three men and took control of the scene.
The three accused have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and robbery.
Phungula and Mbhesi have both admitted to being on the scene and being arrested.
However, Phungula claims that while he was present when Herholdt was attacked, there was no intention to kill him.
Mbhesi said that he witnessed his co-accused stab Herholdt, but denies acting in common purpose with them.
Zungu has elected to remain silent.
The trial is proceeding.
Daily News