Durban: A father and his teenage son, accused of killing Suntesh Mittoo, a medical distribution manager, were released on a warning.
Mittoo, 42, of Westcliff, Chatsworth, allegedly went to a shopping complex on Florence Nightingale Drive after his son Shoaib Shaik, 20, claimed he was harassed by a 16-year-old boy.
Last week, Shaik told the POST he had a previous run-in with the teenager and that his dad went to the shopping complex to make peace.
Shaik said the teen had called his family, and he and his dad were subsequently assaulted and stabbed. Mittoo later died in hospital.
A 51-year-old and his teenage son were arrested and charged with murder.
Prior to their appearance in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Monday, families from both sides staged placard demonstrations outside the courthouse.
The accuseds’ family requested bail be granted, while Mittoo’s family demanded bail be denied.
Shireen Soobrathrie, the accuseds’ attorney, told the POST: “We have access to footage of the shop being damaged by the deceased and his family.
“Other business owners, who witnessed the incident, signed affidavits to say that the mother and minor, who were in the shop at that time, were shouting for help. This will be used as evidence.”
According to the accused statement, he was at the Bangladesh Market when a woman from a neighbouring business told him his shop was broken into.
He said, when he arrived at the shop, he saw a crowd and that metro police had arrived. He said he did not engage in a fight but a further fight ensued between people from a nearby bottle store.
In his statement, the teenager said the community protected him and his mother.
He said Mittoo arrived with seven people and his mother told him to climb into the ceiling to hide, as his life was threatened. The case was adjourned to November.
Following the case, Mittoo’s wife, Zahira Shaik, said: “... My husband was not an aggressive person. He was brutally killed.
“It seems like we cannot trust our justice system. My children are now fatherless. I am angry at the outcome of the case.”
Mittoo’s brother, Pranesh Mittoo, said: “... We had hope in our justice system. We did not expect this.”
The Post