The trial of an adopted son who allegedly colluded with a friend to have his step-father, as well as a Durban University of Technology employee killed, in two separate incidents during 2019, began at the Durban High Court this week.
Security officials at DUT’s Winterton student residence complex near the Steve Biko campus found Euvette Taylor’s blood-stained body in his flat, on the morning of February 10, 2019.
Taylor, 30, worked as an off-site clinic manager in the Health Science faculty and a student counsellor.
A month later (March 15), Willem Cordier, 65, was found stabbed multiple times, mainly in the neck and chest region, at his Berea flat.
Mlungisi Ndlovu, 23, and Lwazi Danca, 22, Cordier’s adopted son for many years, were charged with the murders of both men.
Danca lived with Cordier at the time. He made a desperate plea for help on the night of the murder by posting on a WhatsApp group, consisting of residents from their block of flats, that his father was being attacked, which the State regarded as a ruse.
Taylor previously lived in Cato Manor and Ndlovu was his neighbour.
The State is of the view that Ndlovu and Danca planned the murders and Ndlovu allegedly acted as the executioner in both instances.
Blunt force trauma and strangulation were what ended Taylor’s life.
Apart from murder, both were charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances for the alleged theft of Taylor’s VW Amarok vehicle, two TV sets, a lap top and other valuables that were taken after his death.
Advocates Annelize Harrison and Yoliswa Nyakata are the prosecutors in the matter being presided over by Judge Mfuniselwa Elijah Nkosi.
According to the State, Ndlovu and Danca were school friends and acted with “common purpose” in committing their crimes.
On February 9, Ndlovu visited Taylor and introduced himself as “Mlu” to other flat residents. He remained there until the early hours of the next day, before fatally assaulting the deceased.
He then helped himself to some of Taylor’s possessions before driving off with the Amarok.
Ndlovu travelled to the home of Danca, who then drove the vehicle to uMlazi, where they sold Taylor’s possessions.
Police later recovered the vehicle in uMlazi.
In the Cordier murder, the State claimed that Danca gave Ndlovu a set of keys to his home on March 15 and placed a knife in a particular spot for him to use in the attack.
Constable Lorrantia Buthelezi, who attended the Berea crime scene, testified that when she took a statement from Danca, he claimed Ndlovu was the killer, having caught sight of the attacker’s jacket.
Danca’s version was that he kissed his father good night around 11pm before going to his room.
A short while later he heard his father speaking to someone, who he didn’t recognise, at their front door. Danca then heard what sounded like his father being attacked and he responded by alerting his neighbours.
Sibongiseni Mkhize, a former DUT security guard, testified that he was on duty on February 9 when Ndlovu accompanied Taylor to his flat.
He was shown short video clips in court, captured by CCTV cameras at the residence, showing Taylor entering the residence with a man, and other snippets of a man taking two bags to the parked Amarok and driving off with the vehicle a few minutes later.
Nyakata asked Mkhize if he could identify the person who arrived with Taylor at 4pm on February 9.
Mkhize said “yes”, and pointed to Ndlovu, seated in the dock.
When asked whether the man seen in CCTV footage during the early hours of the next morning was also Ndlovu, Mkhize said “yes”.
Mkhize told the court that he and other security officials forcibly entered Taylor’s flat after Ntombizethu Mbatha, from a neighbouring unit, suspected something was amiss.
They couldn’t enter because of the overpowering stench of gas in the unit and he called emergency services to assist.
After discovering Taylor’s bloodied-body on a bed, Mkhize also found a leaking LPG gas bottle underneath. He ran out of the flat to evacuate the other 400 students living at the residence.
The stove and oven in Taylor’s kitchen were switched on, but nothing was being cooked, burnt spoons were found in a microwave oven and the smoke detectors were removed and lying on the floor.
Sibongiseni Dhlomo, KwaZulu-Natal’s former health MEC, DUT’s vice chancellor and other dignitaries visited the crime scene.
During her testimony, Mbatha also confirmed that Ndlovu was with Taylor on February 9 and he was still there when she went to bed that night.
She said Ndlovu was reluctant to converse with her after Taylor’s introduction.
Mbatha became concerned about Taylor’s well-being when she received a call from his tracker service-provider saying that his vehicle was in a risky area. That’s when she knocked on his flat door and got no response, she also noticed his vehicle was missing.
She pointed out Ndlovu in court as the person she saw with Taylor on the day in question and in the video clips shown to her.
Ndlovu’s attorney, Zeera Fareed, said her client admits being at Taylor’s flat and left around 10pm and denied the allegations against him.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE