Cape Town - A suspect who was implicated in the murder of a security officer at Shoprite Nyanga Junction in 2017, has been found guilty.
Mzimasi Marasha was found guilty yesterday in the Cape High Court.
He was charged with the possession of an unlicensed firearms and ammunition, aggravated robbery and the murder of security officer, Patrick Castle.
The State proved that on May 1, 2017, Marasha stormed into Shoprite with his accomplices. One of his accomplices who had been hiding in the roof, had been shot and killed on the day that SASSA (South African Social Security Agency) payments were to be made.
Marasha had pleaded not guilty to the charges but despite witnesses refusing to take the stand, the State managed to prove its case and get a guilty verdict.
Castle had been the first responder, working for TSU Protection Services. A shoot-out occurred, Castle was wounded and later died in hospital.
According to court papers, a colleague of Castle’s, also a security guard at the time, detailed in her witness account how she had been accosted by the suspects who forced the manager to open the shop, and locked her and others inside the toilet.
Later they were taken to the camera surveillance room where they were kept hostage by armed men.
Another colleague, whose security mobile had not been seen by the robbers, was used to contact the police.
During this time, the witness said she heard gunshots and managed to escape with others via another passage
According to court documents: “She together with her co-captives managed to escape via a different entrance to the store in the complex.
“Upon her escape she observed one of the armed robbers, sitting on a crate at the store. This male person had been shot and sustained a gunshot to the head.
“‘A number of her colleagues, since this incident, including the store manager, have all since passed away.
“One of her co-employees was allegedly murdered en route to work and the store manager had since been murdered inside of his home.”.
Marasha is expected to be sentenced on August 5.
Weekend Argus