Durban - The man allegedly found in possession of a cellphone belonging to kidnapped businesswoman Sandra Moonsamy was granted bail in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Jerry Ogbuwany Gike, 35, was arrested in the first week of July and was found to be living in the country illegally for the past 10 years.
He claimed that his application for a residence permit was pending since he made it in 2011.
Moonsamy, a Westville mother of two, was kidnapped on Stapleton Road in Pinetown, on May 30, and has been missing since.
Prosecutor Sureka Mariemuthoo told the court that the State did not oppose bail and that Gike had lived at the same address in Musgrave, Durban, for many years.
Mariemuthoo told the court that Gike had explained to the police how he came to be in possession of Moonsamy’s cellphone.
“His version was investigated and found to be false. The investigations into what he told the police and the charge of being in the country illegally will continue,” she said.
Gike was found in possession of Moonsamy’s cell phone four days after she went missing.
According to an affidavit, read in court by his lawyer, Gike lives with his partner and two children, and runs a business that earns him R5000 a month.
Although he had proposed bail of R2000, he was granted bail of R5000 due to the nature of the charges against him. He is due back in court on October 8.