Durban - FRIENDS of murdered pastor Mhlonishwa Sakhile Langa and members of the eThekwini Community Church filled a courtroom yesterday, eager to see the man who allegedly shot dead Langa during a robbery at the weekend.
However, they were disappointed at the man’s arrogance in court.
Langa, the eThekwini Municipality’s stakeholder and protocol officer in the Parks, Recreation and Culture Department, was shot while he chased robbers escaping from a shop near the Durban beachfront on Saturday. He died later in hospital.
Members of the public arrested Jabulani Mthethwa, 55, at the scene, while his three accomplices escaped.
Mthethwa is charged with murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
It is alleged that he and his accomplices robbed a supermarket of R10 000 cash and cigarettes worth R12 000.
Mthethwa’s face was bruised and he had a bandaged wrist at his appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
He occasionally turned to look at the gallery and then at magistrate Vanitha Armu as the interpreter read his rights to him.
Asked if he would use the services of a Legal Aid lawyer, or if he would hire a private attorney, Mthethwa smirked and said he had yet to think about it. Armu explained several times that the court needed to know immediately who would represent him because he faced serious charges, but he insisted, with a smile on his face, that he needed to think about it.
This angered Langa’s supporters, who complained that Mthethwa did not realise the pain he had caused them and thought killing Langa was a joke.
Mthethwa claimed the police had assaulted him and pleaded to be released on bail to see a doctor.
Armu assured Mthethwa of a fully operational hospital facility at Westville Prison, and said she had no choice but to adjourn the case for a week to allow him to think about his legal representation. She remanded the matter to July 23.
Thembinkosi Ngcobo, the head of Parks, Recreation and Culture and the Langa family’s spokesperson, said Mthethwa clearly did not realise the void he had created by “taking the life of our beloved one, a father, a leader and a beautiful soul who still had a lot to contribute to the community”.
Ngcobo said Mthethwa did not show any remorse.
“His behaviour in court shows exactly what kind of person he is. He seems like he does not realise the pain that he has caused us. We leave it to the court to deal with him,” he said.