Cape Town - A man accused of killing a 12-year-old boy in an apparently gang-related shooting in Uitsig has appeared in the Western Cape High Court.
Enrico Slamat, 34, made only a brief appearance in court as his co-accused Jonathan Solomons, 43, was unable to attend proceedings due to illness.
The two have been charged with murder, attempted murder and charges related to the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
They are accused of shooting and killing 12-year-old Ashwin Jones on May 31, 2019. They are also accused of the attempted murder of two other boys and an alleged member of the Terrible Josters gang, Naeem du Toit.
The State alleged that on the day of the murder, after 9pm, the two pursued Du Toit while carrying firearms. They allegedly fired shots at Du Toit as he ran into the yard of an Uitsig mosque on the corner of Arnold and Connaught streets.
At the time, Jones and two other boys were helping the mosque attendees park their cars. They had gone to the mosque to collect food, which was being handed out.
With shots being fired in their direction, the boys started running to the mosque for safety but Jones was shot and fell down in front of the mosque.
According to the State, while inside the mosque, the two other boys could hear shots being fired outside.
Jones was shot several times and died at the scene. A post-mortem revealed that Jones had suffered nine gunshot wounds. He was hit in the head, torso and limbs. The examination revealed the cause of death to be “multiple gunshots to the body”.
At the time, the incident was suspected to be part of a gang initiation, and it was rumoured that Jones was involved in gangsterism. However, a local pastor, Adam Alexander, disputed this and said Jones was a member his youth programme.
Solomons is serving a life sentence in prison for killing Loretta Rubain in July 2019. He is expected to appear alongside Slamat on Monday, February 14.