Durban - BAIL was yesterday denied to four men accused of killing tow truck boss Lazarus Naidoo.
Shaffique Cassim, 24, Abdul Latiff, 37, Maheer Naidu, 34, and Maxwell Nkabinde, 27, whose bail had been previously denied, made the application at Verulam Magistrate’s Court based on new evidence.
The owner of Gypsy Towlines and Taxis was murdered outside a friend’s home in Phoenix, Durban, last year. He was shot seven times and died while being rushed to hospital.
Naidoo, 41, had allegedly been receiving threats from rivals in the highly competitive tow truck industry.
In a brief decision, Magistrate Ncumisa Gcolotela noted the arguments made by the defendants, represented by advocate Jimmy Howse. One of the arguments was that the only witness to the shooting was not credible. They had also argued they needed to be released to work.
Some of the accused men had been working for murdered tow truck operator and alleged Bloods gang kingpin Kalvin Periasamy, who was killed in the parking lot of uMhlanga’s Gateway shopping centre in June this year. Periasamy had also been implicated in Naidoo’s murder.
The men are expected to appear in Durban High Court later this month.